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The following pages are hosted by government web servers and have something to say about muskrats.

Muskrat Description, habits, reproduction, diet, picture; Alberta's Watchable Wildlife; Alberta Environment

"Muskrat", a Wildlife Endangered Species Fact Sheet, gives habitat, weight, size, diet, identifying characteristics, range, reproduction, history in Connecticut, interesting facts, and managing property damage.  From Bureau of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.

M139 Common Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus discusses distribution, abundance, and seasonality; specific habitat requirements; and species life history of the muskrat.  It also has a references section.  From MammalsCalifornia's Wildlife, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch, California Department of Fish and Game.

Maine Mammal Information Table gives features, length, weight, habitat, food, litter size, birthing season and behavioral characteristics of muskrat.  From Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

Muskrat Description, distribution, habitat and home, habits, foods, reproduction, importance, management; from Mammal Page, Nature Page, Missouri Department of Conservation

Muskrat Homes, habits, appearance, tracks, distribution, habitat, life history and breeding habits, feeding habits, research and management, reading list; illustrated with pictures and diagrams.  Also available in French at Le rat musqué.  From Hinterland's Who's Who / La faune de l'arrière-pays, Canadian Wildlife Service - Service canadien de la faune, Environment Canada/Environnement Canada.

Introductory Information/Species: Ondatra zibethicus Introduction, distribution and occurrence, biological data and habitat requirements, fire effects and use references; Fire Effects Information System, USDA Forest Service

Muskrat, Habitat Rehabilitation in the Great Lakes - Canadian Great Lakes Semi-aquatic Mammals Distribution, home range, food, reproduction, cover/habitat, hibernation, hydrology, soils/substrate, and design criteria for habitat rehabilitation; includes references; Our Great Lakes; Environment Canada

The J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge page from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has a couple of links that give a little information about muskrat.  Mortimer Muskrat leads a text-and-pictures tour of the Canoe Trail and All About Wetlands tells a little about muskrats, too.  By the way, the Fish & Wildlife policies state "All of the information and images on this server are in the public domain and available for use by anyone. None of our information or our pages is copyrighted now. If we ever do make an exception and serve copyrighted data/images/pages, we will clearly identify them."

Muskrat are discussed as part of the environmental assessment concerning the expansion of a gas processing facility's expansion in Environmental Assessment at Jedney Gas Processing Plant Expansion Application from British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office.

"Roundtail Muskrat" is listed in mammals found within the boundary of the Everglades National Park and/or immediate area on Mammals of Everglades National Park, Species Checklists, from The Everglades Ecosystem, Welcome to Everglades National Park!, The National Park Service ParkNet.

Muskrat has been identified in "Subsistence Remains from Prehistoric North Carolina Archaeological Sites" from North Carolina Office of State Archaeology.

"Tough Times for the Muskrats" and "The Muskrat: Little Brother of the Beaver" are two Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois, Nature Bulletins available on-line from NEWTON/Argonne National Laboratory.  (The bulletins were written between 1944 and 1984 and the two about muskrat are from the 1945 and 1958.)

Control of Beavers and Muskrats gives a description of muskrat with their homes and diet; Integrated Control Methods (Mammals), Wildlife Control Procedures Manual, Aerodrome Wildlife Control, Transport Canada.

"Les Mustélidés dans les forêts du Nord de la France: leurs fluctuations d'effectifs de 1975 à 1987", by José Godin and Emile Vivier, discusses (in French) small animal populations the forests of northern France.  The role of muskrat (and other small animals) as prey to weasel and ermine is touched upon.  From Le Courrier de l'environnement de l'INRA, n°25, septembre 1995, l'Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique.  Benoît Combes, responding to the Godin and Vivier article in A propos des Mustélidés, supplies more discussion of the role of the weasel in controlling animal populations, including muskrats.

Muskrat - Distribution, habitat, life history, food habits, and trapping information.  From Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey.

Muskrat--Biological and Ecotoxicological Characteristics of Terrestrial Vertebrate Species Residing in Estuaries - physical characteristics, status in estuaries, abundance and range, site fidelity, ease of census, feeding habits, contaminant exposure data, and contaminant response data.  From Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.

Muskrat - general description, life history, food habits, economic use, observation.  From Wildlife Notebook Series, Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Muskrat - physical characteristics, habitat, diet, reproduction.  From Mammals, Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Muskrats - Distribution, habitat, appearance, food habits, habits, reproduction, what animals prey upon muskrat, and damage done by uncontrolled populations.  From  Louisiana Fur and Alligator Advisory Council.

Under "Muskrat" on Rodent Control, you will find information on muskrats' physical appearance, diet, reproduction, life expectancy, habitat, and control information.  From Dam Safety, Water Management, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

"Muskrat" - physical description, habits, habitat.  From Index, Wildlife of Nova Scotia by Julie Towers, Wildlife Division, Department of Natural Resources, Government of Nova Scotia.

Rio Salado Update lists muskrat as an animal that typically inhabits Arizona wetlands and may find a home in the Phoenix Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Project.  Also in Spanish at Rio Salado Actualización.  From The Rio Salado Project, City of Phoenix Municipal Government web site.