# Muskrat (*Ondatra zibethicus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/muskrat  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is a rodent in the family Cricetidae and subfamily Arvicolinae, within the order Rodentia of the class Mammalia. It is a medium-sized mammal with an adult body mass of 1.066 kg, and it is a nocturnal, terrestrial herbivore. After a gestation period of 28 days, females have litters of 6.4 young, with 2.6 litters per year, and reach sexual maturity at 175 days. The muskrat has a lifespan of 10 years and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 998 g – 1.07 kg |
| Length | 20 cm – 35 cm |
| Lifespan | 10 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Gestation | 27.8 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 6.42 |
| Age at maturity | 5.73 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.56 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Rodentia
- family: Cricetidae
- genus: Ondatra
- species: *Ondatra zibethicus* (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms: *Castor zibethicus*, *Fiber macrodon*, *Fiber obscurus*, *Fiber occipitalis*, *Fiber osoyoosensis*, *Fiber spatulatus*, *Fiber zibethicus*, *Fiber zibethicus albus*, *Fiber zibethicus aquilonius*, *Fiber zibethicus cinnamominus*, *Fiber zibethicus hudsonius*, *Fiber zibethicus maculosa*, *Fiber zibethicus mergens*, *Fiber zibethicus niger*, *Fiber zibethicus nigra*, *Fiber zibethicus pallidus*, *Fiber zibethicus ripensis*, *Fiber zibethicus rivalicius*, *Fiber zibethicus varius*, *Fiber zibethicus zalophus*, *Ondatra americana*, *Ondatra zibethica bernardi*, *Ondatra zibethica goldmani*, *Ondatra zibethicus ripensis*, *Ondatra zibethicus zibethicus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a muskrat?

The muskrat is a rodent, a mammal in the order Rodentia and the family Cricetidae.

### How heavy is a muskrat?

An adult Muskrat has a body mass of 1.066 kg, placing it in the medium size class.

### What does a muskrat eat?

The muskrat is a herbivore.

### Is the muskrat endangered?

No. The muskrat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a muskrat live?

The muskrat has a lifespan of 10 years.

### How many young does a muskrat have?

A muskrat has 6.4 young per litter and 2.6 litters per year, after a gestation period of 28 days.

### What are other names for the muskrat?

Other English names for the muskrat are Muscrat, Musquash, Musk-rat, Muskbeaver and Musk-beaver.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/muskrat