Description:

Ondatra - Iroquois Indian name for this animal
zibethicus - Latin; "musky-odoured", scent emitted by breeding males

Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae

At first glance, muskrats look like small beavers. They have a similarly dark, glossy brown coat, but are considerably smaller at 41-63 cm long, and 908-1816 g in weight. Ondatra's tail is not beaver-like but long and scaly, like a rat's. Webbed feet, a dense coat, small ears and eyes, and a high tolerance to carbon dioxide, all attest to the Muskrat's highly aquatic lifestyle.