Related to Beaver?  No.  Related to a Rat?  No.  It is said they are more likened to an overgrown field mouse.  Thick, richly coloured fur which keeps them warm in the icy cold waters throughout winters.  They build little mud/reed lodges for sleeping and eating in.

They are active during the later hours of the day. Muskrats do not have webbed feet and their tail is bald; both feet and tail are sparsely covered with fine hairs.  Their tail is long and more round than flat and does look like a rat tail. They use musk glands to scent their trails and communicate. Muskrats are found in slower moving rivers, streams and marshy areas and inhabit virtually all areas of North America. Valued for their fur, they are trapped in large numbers and they have numerous air borne and land predators. In spite of this their population remains healthy.  There are many fascinating facts (how they have adapted to eating underwater) about these mammals which have so well adapted to their aquatic habitats.  Check out the following Muskrat Fact Sheet at Hinterland Who’s Who

Below:  A good view of the hind feet

Below:  A muskrat’s tail – round and bare

Muskrats use their front feet like hands to grip their preferred food like cat tails.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

This photo is cropped closely to give you a good look at the woodchuck’s paws.  Very hand-like with long claws for digging.  In a previous post of a woodchuck the colour was more grey-dark brown while this one is clearly more a rusty brown colour. Woodchucks are also known as groundhogs.  A very handsome woodchuck indeed!

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Beaudry Park is a small Provincial Park on the Manitoba prairie just west of Winnipeg. The Assiniboine River rambles through here and this is a great place to go walking in the summer or cross-country skiing in the winter. The park supports many varieties of birds and small mammals. Beaver and muskrats can be seen swimming in the river. It’s a nice place to go if you just want to get out of the city for a while as it is only about 10 minutes from the perimiter. Today is another cute critter, the Thirteen Striped Ground Squirrel. This little fellow was busy stuffing his cheeks with fresh grass but never far away from one of his escape routes. There were numerous holes in the ground. The first photo shows the striping on the back of the squirrel.

Below:  Ground Squirrel peeking out of burrow . . .  Was I still there ?

Enjoy !

~Sharon

You can find the page at the menu to the right in the “GALLERIES” section.

More Manitoba Wildflowers today. These photos were taken at Oak Hammock Marsh and Beaudry Park.
I plan on posting a complete page with all wildflowers sometime this fall. In this way, you will be able to see all the identified wildflowers in one section. In the meantime, if you click on “wildflowers” in the blog category section on the right it will bring up all the blogs to date with wildflower pictures.

Below: Blue Giant Hyssop

Below: Gallardia

Below: Common Evening Primrose

Enjoy!
~Sharon