South Dakota mammals

Muskrat in South Dakota

Ondatra zibethicus

Native to South Dakota S5 Secure in South Dakota

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

Common in South Dakota 30th most recorded of 100 mammals logged in South Dakota

145 occurrence records
109 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 16, 2026 Last seen in South Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

145 total records count every South Dakota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 142; the monthly chart covers the 140 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Muskrat in South Dakota

Most sightings fall in March to June.

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

Monthly South Dakota records (table)
MonthRecords
January3
February2
March21
April22
May22
June27
July9
August7
September3
October3
November5
December16

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Muskrat has been recorded in South Dakota

142 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

142 South Dakota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Lewis And Clark Recreation Area 3
Oakwood Game Production Area 2
Badlands National Park 1
Sioux Poinsett 1
Coxes-mirror Lakes 1
Fort Sisseton 1
Weisensee 1
Black Hills National Forest 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 South Dakota

CountyRecords
Bennett County 19
Pennington County 13
Brookings County 12
Minnehaha County 11
Yankton County 8
Brown County 8
Sully County 8
Harding County 7
Codington County 6
Charles Mix County 5
Stanley County 5
Lincoln County 3
22 other counties 40

The complete county distribution, spread across 34 South Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Muskrats inhabit South Dakota’s marshes, prairie potholes, slow streams, and vegetated reservoir margins. Look for cattail lodges, feeding platforms, or a compact swimmer leaving a narrow V-shaped wake.

Where to look

Wetland edges around Lake Oahe, Lake Sharpe, and the Missouri River corridor can be productive, as can northeastern refuges and smaller prairie marshes. Sit quietly near emergent vegetation at dawn or dusk.

Muskrats remain active year-round, including beneath ice. April through June leads reports as open water expands.

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 South Dakota 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"