Muskrat

General Background
Muskrats are medium-sized ondatrine rodents from the Early Pliocene period to modern day. While not true rats, they are called muskrats because of their musky smell and their adaptability and omnivorous diet.They originally lived in North America but have been introduced to South America,Asia and Europe. Muskrats are generally 16-28 inches long and often weigh about 1-5 pounds. They look similar to and often share their habitat with the American Beaver (Castor canadensis).