#ondatra

Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus

Muskrats are found in most of Canada, the United States, and a small part of northern Mexico. They primarily inhabit wetlands, areas in or near saline and freshwater wetlands, rivers, lakes, or ponds. The genus name comes from the Huron word for the animal, ondathra, and entered Neo-Latin as Ondatra via French.

A muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) chews on a water reed in Nome, Alaska, USA

Various rodents, in order:

Spalax microphthalmus, Greater blind mole-rat Rattus norvegicus, Norway rat Cricetus cricetus, European hamster Apodemus sylvaticus, wood mouse Microtus arvalis, common vole Sciurus vulgaris, red squirrel Ondatra zibethicus, muskrat Glis glis, European edible dormouse

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

Muskrat (via USFWS Midwest Region)

Muskrats can sometimes become so abundant that they cause an "eat-out" to occur. The pile of muskrats in this picture caused an eat-out on the small wetland they lived in by eating all of the cattails and bullrushes within the wetland. The only thing left was a mound of dead vegetation to sit on.