Muskrats need water most desert mammals can do without, so in New Mexico their records trace a thin green line rather than a broad range. The Rio Grande corridor accounts for two-thirds of the state’s named-place sightings, with Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge’s managed wetlands adding a smaller but reliable cluster.
Reports climb from April through July and taper by late summer, though muskrats stay active year-round; the spring rise likely reflects when marshes are easiest to watch, not when the animals are busiest. New Mexico’s population sits at NatureServe’s S4, Apparently Secure, rank, one of the healthier state statuses among the mammals recorded here.
With 254 records over more than two decades, this is a moderately documented species for the state, occasional rather than rare by the local abundance ranking.
Full species profile
