"NOT WIND IN THE WILLOWS BUT ... " - Muskrat
"NOT WIND IN THE WILLOWS BUT ..."
Muskrat - 7 Photos
Like "Ratty" in Wind in the Willows, the muskrat is a semi-aquatic rodent, not a rat. The muskrat (Photo #1 & Photo #2) is more closely related to "Ratty", who was, in fact, a water vole.
Muskrats often share accommodation with beavers in their lodges. They were once thought to live rent free but it has now been film documented that muskrats actually help to maintain the lodge by repairing/patching holes in the roof from the inside with mud.
Most of the ponds have now frozen over but around beaver lodges & in some creeks where the water flow is fast, small areas have open water. And where there is open water, there is opportunity for muskrats to dive and find vegetation for feasting (Photo #3 & Photo #4).
And, of course, there is always time to scratch & groom in between bites (Photo #5 through Photo #7).
PHOTO #1
PHOTO #2
PHOTO #3
PHOTO #4
PHOTO #5
PHOTO #6
PHOTO #7
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