Muskrat Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: Muskrats just seem like they don't have a care in the world. I sometimes wonder how they survive, given how cavalier they seem to often be, hanging out in the open, not seemingly worried about any danger that may be about. I also think their eyesight must be god-awful. The photo below is from Lake Thompson, South Dakota on April 23rd, 2020. I was standing right there in the open, taking photos of shorebirds, when it crawled out of the water and started sauntering up the bank. It would stop every once in a while and sniff or nibble at something, but it wasn't long before it was headed directly towards me. Finally, when I moved and coughed it realized that Hey! There could be danger here! But even then it just slowly turned around and slipped back into the water. Fun critters to watch as they go about their daily lives.

Muskrat - Ondatra zibethicus


Muskrat 1 May 13th, 2010 Minnehaha County, South Dakota	Muskrat 2 May 5th, 2006 Minnehaha County, South Dakota	Muskrat 3 March 21st, 2010 Minnehaha County, South Dakota	Muskrat 4 April 23rd, 2020 Lake Thompson, South Dakota

Muskrat 5 April 19th, 2020 Minnehaha County, South Dakota	Muskrat 6 May 18th, 2020 Minnehaha County, South Dakota	Muskrat 7 March 8th, 2020 Minnehaha County, South Dakota