Another Muskrat

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I saw a group of Muskrats; here's another one in a setting they're very comfortable in: the water. (You didn't think I was going to meet a bunch of Muskrats and only show you on picture, did you?)

It's unclear that there's a collective name for Muskrats; this webpage says they don't have one, and Wikipedia doesn't list Muskrats. Even though they're not closely related to either, if you wanted to use a collective noun for them I guess it would be best to use family or colony (beavers), or colony, horde, or mischief (rats).

Muskrats eat a mostly vegetarian diet, though some small invertebrates, fish, and amphibians supplements it a bit. Unfortunately for Muskrats, they're on the menu for a lot of predators, including mink, foxes, coyotes, lynxes, bobcats, raccoons, bears, cougars, wolves, wolverines, eagles, snakes, alligators, and the larger hawks and owls. For juvenile Muskrats, you can add otters, herons, snapping turtles, and large fish to the list. 

May 10, 2021 at the Raritan River Greenway
Photo 128959687, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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