Michigan mammals

Muskrat in Michigan

Ondatra zibethicus

Native to Michigan S5 Secure in Michigan

Not listed as nonindigenous in Michigan by USGS NAS; native to its Michigan 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 Michigan, by the numbers

Common in Michigan 10th most recorded of 75 mammals logged in Michigan

2,577 occurrence records
2,180 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 11, 2026 Last seen in Michigan

Records from 2000–2026.

2,577 total records count every Michigan occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 2,473 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Muskrat in Michigan

Most sightings fall in March to May.

2,473 Michigan occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Michigan records (table)
MonthRecords
January62
February109
March359
April475
May406
June273
July182
August148
September81
October99
November125
December154

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Michigan, with recorded sightings peaking in March–May.

Occurrence map

Where Muskrat has been recorded in Michigan

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Michigan records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Kellogg Biological Station and Experimental forest 39
Pointe Mouillee State Game Area 23
Maple River State Game Area 21
Gregory State Game Area 16
Rose Lake State Wildlife Area 16
Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery 12
Isle Royale National Park 12
Asylum Lake 10

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 Michigan

CountyRecords
Washtenaw County 339
Livingston County 248
Ingham County 200
Oakland County 175
Schoolcraft County 131
Macomb County 114
Kent County 101
Wayne County 87
Saginaw County 86
Clinton County 73
Kalamazoo County 73
Ottawa County 72
71 other counties 878

The complete county distribution, spread across 83 Michigan counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Michigan muskrat records follow the state’s wetland geography, with notable reporting around Saginaw Bay, Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, and the Detroit River corridor. These places combine cattail marshes, river mouths, backwaters, and shallow impoundments, offering several kinds of shoreline habitat within the populous southern Lower Peninsula.

Sightings occur throughout the year and peak from March through May, when ice retreat and spring activity can improve visibility along open water. The mapped totals count records, not animals; public wetland overlooks and well-traveled shorelines receive disproportionate observer attention.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Muskrat in other 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 Michigan 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"