Muskrat
For other uses, see Muskrat (disambiguation). Muskrat A muskrat near a spring at Onondaga Cave State Park in Missouri Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) [1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Cricetidae Subfamily: Arvicolinae Tribe: Ondatrini Gray, 1825 Genus: Ondatra Link, 1795 Species: O. zibethicus Binomial name Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) Muskrat ranges: Native introduced introduced range in South America not shown The muskrat ( Ondatra zibethicus ), the only species in genus Ondatra and tribe Ondatrini , is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and is an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. It has important effects on the ecology of wetlands, [2] and is a resource of food and fur for humans. The muskrat is the largest species in the subfamily Arvicolinae,...