Kansas mammals

Muskrat in Kansas

Ondatra zibethicus

Native to Kansas S5 Secure in Kansas

Not listed as nonindigenous in Kansas by USGS NAS; native to its Kansas range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Muskrats resting on a floating log in open waterMuskrat swimming head-on through calm waterLive muskrat sitting on a grassy bank at the water edgeTwo muskrats at a grassy water edgeMuskrat swimming with a long narrow tail trailing behind
Photo: Ken Clark · CC-BYMuskrats resting on a floating log in open waterPhoto: Svetlana Tsarakhova · CC0Muskrat swimming head-on through calm waterPhoto: Robert McLeod · CC0Live muskrat sitting on a grassy bank at the water edgePhoto: Dan Vickers · CC-BYTwo muskrats at a grassy water edgePhoto: Lukas Zangl · CC-BYMuskrat swimming with a long narrow tail trailing behind

Muskrat in Kansas, by the numbers

Common in Kansas 22nd most recorded of 93 mammals logged in Kansas

222 occurrence records
222 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 27, 2026 Last seen in Kansas

Records from 2000–2026.

222 total records count every Kansas occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 219; the monthly chart covers the 219 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Muskrat in Kansas

Most sightings fall in April to May.

219 Kansas occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Kansas records (table)
MonthRecords
January5
February12
March22
April38
May43
June21
July12
August24
September25
October7
November5
December5

Monthly muskrat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Kansas, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Kansas, with recorded sightings peaking in April–May.

Occurrence map

Where Muskrat has been recorded in Kansas

219 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

219 Kansas records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Slate Creek Wetlands 6
Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area 3
Tuttle Creek State Parks 2
Prairie Center 2
Scott State Park 1
Lyon State Fishing Lake 1
McPherson Valley Wetlands 1

Protected places with the most muskrat sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Kansas

CountyRecords
Sedgwick County 54
Johnson County 35
Douglas County 32
Montgomery County 27
Sumner County 14
Riley County 8
Pottawatomie County 7
Ford County 5
Barton County 4
Brown County 4
Stafford County 2
Harvey County 2
20 other counties 28

The complete county distribution, spread across 32 Kansas counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Muskrats inhabit marshes, ponds, slow streams, and vegetated reservoir margins across Kansas. Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is a natural place to scan open channels at dawn or dusk; feeding platforms, clipped vegetation, and bank burrows can reveal their presence first.

More than 200 iNaturalist records support the common classification, while wetland access and water levels shape where observers report them. Sightings occur year-round and are most frequent in April and May.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Muskrat in other states

Muskrat range map (all states)

Muskrats resting on a floating log in open water
Full species profile Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus Size 25–36 cm9.8–14.2 in Weight 0.6–2 kg1.3–4.4 lb Lifespan 3 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Kansas in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"