Watery Homes

Sometimes we see things along the way that we just have to ask questions about and along the Nebraska and South Dakota highways, we saw a lot of standing water; some like small lakes and others long gullies alongside the roads but nearly always with corn stubble, reeds or rushes nearby.  In these waters we saw mounds that had obviously been built by some animal or other. 

muskrat mounds along the road in South Dakota

We found out what they were when we stayed at a near the small town of Salem. (There are many towns or cities called Salem in north America). The owner and her daughter were very knowledgeable about the little critters, called muskrats, sometimes known as marsh rats, and they’re very similar to beavers with their little flattened tails although a great deal smaller, about two feet in length including their tail, and their homes are also called lodges.

photo by D. Gordon E. Robertson, PhD 

of a muskrat swimming in the Rideau River, Canada

When the muskrats build their dens higher than usual in the Fall (Autumn), it’s a good indication that there will be more rain and snow than usual.  The amazing instincts of animals are usually right and northern America had huge amounts of rain and snowfall this year. 

Muskrats eat mainly water plants and small water creatures but also eat crops so farmers aren’t too keen on them and trapping is still legal. They also burrow into river banks eroding the edges or damage dikes and dams. But, they’re beneficial for other animals too because they leave open water for ducks or geese so that their abandoned dens are often used as homes for other animals. We read later that muskrats were introduced to Europe in the early 20th Century for their thick, glossy and warm pelts.