Muskrat: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the muskrat lives – recorded in 14 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Ondatra zibethicus
Group	Mice, rats & other rodents
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	14 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Mammal
Order	Rodentia
Family	Cricetidae

Where does the muskrat live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the muskrat in 14 countries and territories across Europe and North America. In Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Russia, Sweden it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Netherlands
Belgium (introduced)
France (introduced)
Germany (introduced)
Switzerland (introduced)
Finland (introduced)
United States
Canada
Russia (introduced)
Sweden (introduced)
Estonia (introduced)
Luxembourg (introduced)
Norway (introduced)
Austria (introduced)

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the muskrat endangered?

The muskrat’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the muskrat?

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is a mammal in the order Rodentia and the family Cricetidae, genus Ondatra. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the muskrat

The muskrat or common muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent.

Adult muskrats weigh 0.6–2 kg (1+1⁄4–4+1⁄2 lb), with a body length (excluding the tail) of 20–35 cm (8–14 in). They are covered with short, thick fur of medium to dark brown color. Their long tails, covered with scales rather than hair, are laterally compressed and generate a small amount of thrust, with their webbed hind feet being the main means of propulsion and the unique tail mainly important in directional stability. Muskrats spend most of their time in the water and can swim underwater for 12 to 17 minutes. They live in families of a male and female pair and their young. They build nests to protect themselves from the cold and predators, often burrowed into the bank with an underwater entrance. Muskrats feed mostly on cattail and other aquatic vegetation but also eat small animals.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Muskrat (revision 1378888273), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q26283 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).