Virginia mammals

Muskrat in Virginia

Ondatra zibethicus

Native to Virginia S5 Secure in Virginia

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

Common in Virginia 13th most recorded of 105 mammals logged in Virginia

1,476 occurrence records
1,403 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 11, 2026 Last seen in Virginia

Records from 2000–2026.

1,476 total records count every Virginia occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,415 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Muskrat in Virginia

Most sightings fall in March to May.

1,415 Virginia occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Virginia records (table)
MonthRecords
January38
February91
March252
April348
May263
June145
July108
August57
September33
October23
November17
December40

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Muskrat has been recorded in Virginia

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Virginia records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Assateague Island National Seashore 34
Mason Neck State Park 12
Colonial National Historical Park 10
Briery Creek Lake 10
DGIF Land Holding 9
George Washington Memorial Parkway 8
Jefferson National Forest 6
Cumberland Marsh State Natural Area Preserve 4

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 Virginia

CountyRecords
Fairfax County 502
Prince William County 101
Virginia Beach County 65
Chesterfield County 53
Montgomery County 49
James City County 47
Loudoun County 46
Richmond County 44
Accomack County 41
Arlington County 37
Chesapeake County 35
Louisa County 34
78 other counties 422

The complete county distribution, spread across 90 Virginia counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Muskrat records cluster around Virginia’s wetland refuges, led by Chincoteague and joined by Mason Neck and Great Dismal Swamp, tying the Eastern Shore to the Potomac and southeastern Coastal Plain. Reporting crests from March through May and drops sharply by autumn; the curve tracks observations around accessible marshes and waterways, not muskrat population density.

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 Virginia 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"