Muskrat trails Missouri’s other common mammals at rank thirteen, with just 247 records overall, a small enough sample that broad claims about the species’ distribution don’t hold up well. Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, Big Oak Tree State Park, and Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge share the marsh, slough, and river habitat muskrats need to build their dome-shaped lodges and feed on cattails and other aquatic plants.
Records rise sharply each spring, from single digits in January to a March through May peak, then fall back to a low trickle by autumn. That likely tracks when muskrats are most active near open water and visible from trails, rather than any spring surge in numbers. Every record here comes from GBIF, with no iNaturalist entries, and the small total means gaps between months should be read cautiously rather than as a firm seasonal signal.
Full species profile
