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Species authority page

Muskrat

Ondatra zibethicus · Furbearers

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus): Rotund rodent 26–36 cm plus a 20–28 cm scaly, rat-like tail; 0.9–1.8 kg. Silvery to dark brown glossy coat with a lighter belly; dark feet and tail. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the muskrat map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Muskrat at the edge of shallow water among dry grass
Photo by Dallas Penner on Unsplash
Scientific name
Ondatra zibethicus
Family
Cricetidae
Range
North America north to the treeline, including Newfoundland, south to the Gulf Coast, Rio Grande and lower Colorado River; introduced in Eurasia and Argentina.
Biology

How to identify it

Rotund rodent 26–36 cm plus a 20–28 cm scaly, rat-like tail; 0.9–1.8 kg. [1][2][3]

Silvery to dark brown glossy coat with a lighter belly; dark feet and tail. [1][2][3]

Hind feet large but not webbed, fringed with stiff hairs. [1][2][3]

Compared with the beaver: The muskrat is much smaller with a rat-like tail rather than a broad flat one. [1][2][3]

Compared with the nutria: Nutria are much larger with a round tail and white whiskers; muskrats have a side-flattened tail and no webbing between the toes. [1][2][3]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Muskrat from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1][2][3]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Freshwater marshes, marshy lake edges and slow streams with water deep enough not to freeze to the bottom but shallow enough for aquatic plants (ideally 1–2 m). [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Builds dome houses of cattail and bulrush 0.6–0.9 m high, or tunnels into banks [1][2][3]

In winter feeds under the ice and builds 'pushups' of vegetation over holes [1][2][3]

Mainly eats roots and stems of cattails, lilies, sedges and grasses; occasionally mussels and small fish [1][2][3]

Leaves musky scent at stations and makes slides and channels through bank vegetation [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

North America north to the treeline, including Newfoundland, south to the Gulf Coast, Rio Grande and lower Colorado River; introduced in Eurasia and Argentina.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. Alaska Department of Fish and Game · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Alaska Department of Fish and Game

  2. Hinterland Who's Who (Canadian Wildlife Service / Canadian Wildlife Federation) · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Hinterland Who's Who (Canadian Wildlife Service / Canadian Wildlife Federation)

  3. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe