OTHER NAMES: Muskrat
Latin Etymology: Ondatra (Huron name for species) zibethicus ("musky")
One adult and three young Common Muskrat (subspecies ) at Saskatoon Lake, Alberta, Canada - July 2024
Featured Subspecies: Ondatra zibethicus spatulatus
Weight: 0.6-2kg / Length: 40-70cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern
The muskrat is an interesting species in many ways - behaviourally it is something like a miniature beaver, functioning as a habitat architect where they will clear vegetation and burrrow into banks, as well as constructing feeding platforms. Despite this, they are only distant relations, and are in actuality the largest speciess of the Cricetidae, the family containing voles, lemmings and hamsters. They are highly invasive, and while not indiginous to Eurasia, their introduced range spreads from France through the length of Russia and Japan.
Related Species:
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Genus: Ondatra
SUBSPECIES: O.z.zibethicus, O.z.albus, O.z.aquilonius, O.z.bernardi, O.z.cinnamominus, O.z.goldmani, O.z.macrodon, O.z.mergens, O.z.obscurus, O.z.occipitalis, O.z.osoyoosensis, O.z.pallidus,O.z.ripensis, O.z.rivalicus, O.z.spatulatus, O.z.zalophus
- Sighting Locations -
CANADA -Present in most places outside the tundra.
- CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Alberta
UNITED STATES - Found throughout most of the Lower 48 and Alaska except Tundra, Desert and Florida
- CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Seen in Illinois
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
No comments:
Post a Comment