{"id":14642,"date":"2020-09-07T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-07T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=14642"},"modified":"2020-09-08T10:35:04","modified_gmt":"2020-09-08T14:35:04","slug":"take-5-you-musk-be-joking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-you-musk-be-joking\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: You Musk Be Joking!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While they do belong to the order Rodentia<\/em>), muskrats are not, in fact, rats at all (i.e. members of the genus Rattus)<\/em>. Plus, they’re actually more closely related to lemmings than they are to their look-a-like cousins, beavers. The latter is a case of what is known as “convergent evolution”\u2014two distinct species that evolve with a similar set of characteristics that just happen to work really well for the environment in which they live, kind of like two people coming up with the same idea at the same time in different locations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a distance, it can be difficult to tell muskrats and beavers apart. They are both semi-aquatic rodents with similar body shapes and colors; have bare, fleshy tails; and build lodges for their families. Side-by-side, though, it would be difficult to mistake them. Muskrats average 3\u20134 pounds each, one-tenth the size of beavers who clock in at a whopping 30\u201340 pounds, and their tails are long and narrow, not broad and paddle-shaped like a beaver’s. Additionally, beavers are strictly vegetarian while muskrats have a wider, more versatile, omnivorous diet of mostly aquatic plants (such as cattails and yellow water lilies) supplemented with small animals like frogs, crayfish, and fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muskrats are prolific breeders, producing 2\u20133 litters per year of 6\u20138 kits each, but each individual only lives about 3\u20134 years in the wild. This rapid rate of regeneration is a key part of their survival strategy, since muskrats are a popular menu item for many predators, including coyotes and foxes, snapping turtles, weasels and otters, bobcats, owls, and especially minks and raccoons. Young muskrats may even fall prey to larger species of fish such as largemouth bass. As a result of their survival-by-numbers strategy, they occupy a very important role in the native food web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your best bet to spot a muskrat in the wild is along water edges and in wetlands at dawn or dusk, as they are crepuscular. Here are five photos of native muskrats from our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest. The deadline to enter the 2020 contest is September 30, so be sure to submit your own amazing nature photography soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Muskrat
Muskrat \u00a9 Janice Koskey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Muskrat
Muskrat \u00a9 Bernard Kingsley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Muskrats
Muskrats \u00a9 Sylvia Zarco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Muskrat
Muskrat \u00a9 Matthew Watson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Muskrat
Muskrat \u00a9 Yuh Yun Li <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While they do belong to the order Rodentia), muskrats are not, in fact, rats at all (i.e. members of the genus Rattus). Plus, they’re actually more closely related to lemmings than they are to their look-a-like cousins, beavers. The latter is a case of what is known as “convergent evolution”\u2014two distinct species that evolve with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":14646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[273,363,83,84],"class_list":["post-14642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5","tag-mammals","tag-muskrats","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/2851Sylvia_Zarco10205.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3Oa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3650,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/muskrats-and-beavers\/","url_meta":{"origin":14642,"position":0},"title":"How to Tell a Muskrat from a Beaver","author":"Rosemary","date":"June 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Even though muskrats and beavers are only distantly related, they can be hard to tell apart. They\u2019re both brown, rotund animals with bare, fleshy tails. They both swim, often paddling at the surface. And those famous dome-shaped lodges that industrious beavers build for their families? Muskrats make lodges, too! Here\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Muskrat","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/muskrat_richard_johnson-e1402933828157-300x234.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16024,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-eager-beavers\/","url_meta":{"origin":14642,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Eager Beavers","author":"Ryan D.","date":"July 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Aside from humans, beavers are the only mammal that alters their habitat to meet their needs, which they accomplish by damming streams to form ponds. This behavior actually benefits other species (including people) as well. 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Can you identify where it was taken? Along the 12 miles of trails at this wildlife sanctuary, you can traverse over stone bridges, proceed through a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Outdoors"","block_context":{"text":"Get Outdoors","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-outdoors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/WhereAreWEDec2015.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/WhereAreWEDec2015.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/WhereAreWEDec2015.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4854,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-warm-and-fuzzy-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":14642,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Warm and Fuzzy Photos","author":"Rosemary","date":"February 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Tired of all the snow and cold? Take a break with these sweet photos\u00a0from our past\u00a0Photo Contests. They're all a little bit fuzzy\u2014in the best way.","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/1260WilliamPowell4474-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/1260WilliamPowell4474-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/1260WilliamPowell4474-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13071,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/what-to-do-this-long-weekend-aug-31-sept-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":14642,"position":4},"title":"What To Do This {Long} Weekend: Aug 31-Sept 2","author":"Hillary T.","date":"August 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Look for Diamondback Terrapins, go on a boat tour, kayak at sunset, fly a kite, count butterflies, learn about coyotes, and more at a wildlife sanctuary this weekend. Diamondback Terrapin \u00a9 Ron Kielb Cape Cod and Islands Go In Search of Diamondback Terrapins at Wellfleet Bay. Start off inside with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Outdoors"","block_context":{"text":"Get Outdoors","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-outdoors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Diamondback Terrapin Ron Kielb","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/08\/emerging-hatchling_Ron-Kielb_750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/08\/emerging-hatchling_Ron-Kielb_750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/08\/emerging-hatchling_Ron-Kielb_750.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/08\/emerging-hatchling_Ron-Kielb_750.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13377,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-mink-outside-the-box\/","url_meta":{"origin":14642,"position":5},"title":"Take 5: Mink Outside the Box","author":"Ryan D.","date":"December 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"American Minks are members of the weasel family, averaging between 2 and 3.5 pounds, smaller than some of their cousins, Fishers and River Otters, but larger than others, such as ermine or long-tailed weasels. They share many traits with otters, including webbed feet and a coating of oil to keep\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Mink \u00a9 Mark Lotterhand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/12\/1579Mark_Lotterhand24296.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/12\/1579Mark_Lotterhand24296.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/12\/1579Mark_Lotterhand24296.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/12\/1579Mark_Lotterhand24296.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14642"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14653,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14642\/revisions\/14653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}