"THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER NAME"

Muskrat - 7 Photos

I've often thought that the name "muskrat" for this smaller cousin of the beaver is not the most complimentary term. 

This little rodent who frequently co-habitates with its beaver cousin, will make repairs to their lodges and often appears in open water just before beavers make their presence known. Perhaps, the muskrat acts as a semi-scout, checking out for an "all clear".

Unlike beavers, however, muskrats are not solely vegetarian and will also eat small fish, snails, clams, etc. when the need arises. I have included a photo that I took in March 2022 of a muskrat with its catch (Photo #7). 

So how about a name change? As you can see from the photos below, they have similar harvesting habits as beavers and this particular muskrat seems to be particularly pleased with its choice (Photo #2 & Photo #3).

My suggestions in no particular order:

1. Muskbeaver

2. Lesser Beaver

3. Micro or Mini Beaver

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5

PHOTO #6

PHOTO #7