Oklahoma mammals

Muskrat in Oklahoma

Ondatra zibethicus

Native to Oklahoma SNR Unranked in Oklahoma

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

Occasional in Oklahoma 48th most recorded of 120 mammals logged in Oklahoma

127 occurrence records
95 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 2, 2026 Last seen in Oklahoma

Records from 2000–2026.

127 total records count every Oklahoma occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 123 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Muskrat in Oklahoma

Most sightings fall in March to May.

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

Monthly Oklahoma records (table)
MonthRecords
January6
February8
March17
April26
May26
June9
July14
August3
September3
October6
November0
December5

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Muskrat has been recorded in Oklahoma

127 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

127 Oklahoma records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
CLO Lands 3
Fort Supply 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 Oklahoma

CountyRecords
Cleveland County 31
Tulsa County 30
Oklahoma County 28
Payne County 5
Canadian County 4
Rogers County 3
Haskell County 3
Woodward County 3
Garfield County 3
Kay County 3
Alfalfa County 2
Beaver County 2
10 other counties 10

The complete county distribution, spread across 22 Oklahoma counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Muskrats carry no NatureServe state rank in Oklahoma, SNR unranked, and the record splits close to evenly between iNaturalist (94) and GBIF (99), suggesting both casual sightings and survey data document this wetland species about equally.

April and May are tied for the year’s peak, 17 sightings each, more than half the year’s records concentrated in that spring window, tracking the season when muskrats range more widely for territory and mates before settling into summer lodge-building; November drops to zero records.

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 Oklahoma 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"