Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
Muskrat 2
Identification
A muskrat looks similar to a large rat. It has 4 toes on its front feet and 5 on its back. Their rat-like tail often leaves a visible track. The walking stride of a muskrat is an average of 11 inches. Usually scat is found on the water's edge.
Niche
The muskrat is a consumer because it eats other living organisms to get its energy. Muskrats eat a large variety of plants and animals including; cattails, sedges, rushes, water lilies, pondweeds, wild rice, pickerel weed, clover, willow, acorns, sweet flag, switchgrass, mussels, crayfish, frogs, snails, and fish. As well as eating many different things, many things eat them. Some of these animals include; raccoon, red fox, owls, hawks, american bald eagles, common snapping turtles, bullfrogs, largemouth bass, cats, dogs, and even sometimes people.
Other roles in the ecosystem
As well as being an important part of the food chain muskrats serve other roles in the ecosystem. Muskrats influence the composition of local plant communities. This is important because it keeps one plant from overpopulating and lets new plants grow.
Sources~http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/muskrat.htm, http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Ondatra_zibethicus/
Sources and Credits
- (c) Vitaliy Khustochka, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/phenolog/4159982548/
- Adapted by mtastudent from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ondatra_zibethicus
