Kentucky mammals

Muskrat in Kentucky

Ondatra zibethicus

Native to Kentucky S5 Secure in Kentucky

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

Muskrat in Kentucky, by the numbers

Common in Kentucky 23rd most recorded of 77 mammals logged in Kentucky

74 occurrence records
74 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

74 total records count every Kentucky occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 68; the monthly chart covers the 68 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Muskrat in Kentucky

Most sightings fall in March to June.

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

Monthly Kentucky records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February5
March8
April12
May12
June9
July6
August3
September3
October4
November4
December2

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Kentucky, with recorded sightings peaking in March–June.

Occurrence map

Where Muskrat has been recorded in Kentucky

68 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

68 Kentucky records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Land Between the Lakes Other 4
Blackacre State Nature Preserve 1
Sloughs Wildlife Management Area 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 Kentucky

CountyRecords
Jefferson County 15
Fayette County 5
Madison County 4
Campbell County 4
Lyon County 3
Franklin County 3
Warren County 3
Daviess County 3
McCracken County 2
Trigg County 2
Scott County 2
Kenton County 2
18 other counties 26

The complete county distribution, spread across 30 Kentucky counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Muskrat records in Kentucky cluster around Land Between the Lakes, Clarks River, and Reelfoot national wildlife refuges, wetland-rich sites in the state’s far west that fit this aquatic rodent’s need for marsh, backwater, and slow-moving stream cover.

Reports climb from February through May, when ice-out and spring high water make lodges and feeding sign easier to spot along the bank. NatureServe ranks the species S5, Secure, in Kentucky; the 47 records here measure documented sightings along accessible wetland edges, not the muskrat’s true statewide numbers.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Muskrat in other states

Muskrat range map (all states)

More mammals in Kentucky 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"