Lab Note 1: Introduction to our star, the muskrat

While sometimes confused with another better-known rodent, the beaver, muskrats are another species that are important contributors to the environment as ecosystem engineers and fur bearers.

Muskrats are semi-aquatic rodents, meaning they live their lives both in and out of the water. This reliance on both land and water is what drives them to exist in wetland environments. Muskrats are quite adaptive and can occupy a variety of wetland habitats from still water (e.g. marshes and ponds) to linear flowing systems (e.g. rivers) (Erb and Perry 2003). It is because of this habitat plasticity that the muskrat has such a wide range from Mexico across North America to Alaska and the northern territories of Canada (Giroux-bougard, 2014) (Boutin and Birkenholz, 1987).

 

Marsh habitat muskrats my inhabit. Presence of cattails and other emergent wetland vegetation with pockets of open water.

In their habitats they will forage to consume wetland vegetation and will construct structures known as muskrat lodges or build bank burrows. Muskrat’s foraging and habitat structure development can create a mosaic of microhabitats within wetland environments providing opportunities for increased biodiversity of plants and animals (Mittman et al. 2023) (De szalay and cassidy, 2001) (Kangas and hannan, 1985). Lodge construction creates open pockets of water which bring in open water species and allow for growth of new emergent vegetation. The lodges themselves can also function as loafing sites for aquatic birds and basking area for herpetofauna.  

Aside from their ecological benefits, muskrats are also important to us as humans through use of their fur and meat. Across all states where muskrats occur, communities of recreational trappers use muskrats alongside other furbearers.