Alan Davidson

Muskrat

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

muskrat Ondatra zibethica. The largest of the voles, it has a natural range all over N. America, wherever a suitable habitat (usually a marsh, freshwater or salt) exists. It is also known as marsh hare or marsh rabbit. An adult’s head and body length is about 38 cm (15") and the weight may be 900 g (2 lb).

The muskrat has been introduced into Europe and the Soviet Union, mainly for its dark brown fur, which is also the chief reason for trapping it in the USA, e.g. in the bayou region of Louisiana. It lives in an elaborate system of burrows, and its burrowing activity can cause considerable damage to river banks.