English: Muskrat is a species of rodents (Rodentia) of the rat subfamily (Arvicolinae) (according to another classification, it belongs to the subfamily of muskrats in the rat family), the only representative of the genus Ondatra. It is a semi-aquatic animal originally from North America that was introduced to Europe, Asia and South America.

The natural range of the muskrat includes the entire territory of Canada and the United States, and partly the north of Mexico. They usually inhabit marshy areas near freshwater or brackish water bodies, rivers, lakes or ponds. Not found in Florida, where its ecological niche is occupied by the Florida water rat (Neofiber alleni). The muskrat is distributed throughout its natural range and has also been introduced to many new areas, including much of Eurasia and South America. The muskrat was first introduced to Ukraine in 1944. As swamps disappear as a result of human activity, it migrates to the areas of irrigation canals. Lives along streams polluted with sulfur from coal mines, where fish and frogs cannot live. The disappearance of many predators also has a positive effect on the population size.

This muskrat was photographed in the Lopan River in Kharkiv on May 18, 2022.

English: Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)