Florida mammals

Round-tailed Muskrat in Florida

Neofiber alleni

Native to Florida S2 Imperiled in Florida

Not listed as nonindigenous in Florida by USGS NAS; native to its Florida 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.

Round-tailed muskrat swimming at the surface among aquatic vegetationAI-generated image: Round-tailed muskrat grooming on a grassy hummock in a marsh. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Round-tailed muskrat feeding on a stem at the water edge. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Photo: Richard Stovall · CC BY 4.0Round-tailed muskrat swimming at the surface among aquatic vegetationAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyRound-tailed muskrat grooming on a grassy hummock in a marshAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyRound-tailed muskrat feeding on a stem at the water edge

Round-tailed Muskrat in Florida, by the numbers

Occasional in Florida 52nd most recorded of 116 mammals logged in Florida

46 occurrence records
41 with iNaturalist photos
May 30, 2026 Last seen in Florida

Records from 2000–2026.

46 total records count every Florida occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 45; the monthly chart covers the 45 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Round-tailed Muskrat in Florida

Most sightings fall in May.

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

Monthly Florida records (table)
MonthRecords
January5
February6
March8
April5
May9
June3
July2
August3
September1
October0
November0
December3

Monthly round-tailed muskrat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Florida, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Florida, with recorded sightings peaking in May, with a smaller rise in February–March.

Occurrence map

Where Round-tailed Muskrat has been recorded in Florida

45 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

45 Florida records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park 7
Ordway-Swisher Biological Station 3
Crooked Lake Wildlife and Environmental Area 1
Holey Land Wildlife Management Area 1
Salt Lake Wildlife Management Area 1

Protected places with the most round-tailed 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 Florida

CountyRecords
Alachua County 11
Palm Beach County 10
Orange County 5
Putnam County 3
Osceola County 2
Lake County 2
Lee County 2
Clay County 1
Jefferson County 1
Miami-Dade County 1
Polk County 1
Broward County 1
5 other counties 6

The complete county distribution, spread across 17 Florida counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Florida has 46 round-tailed muskrat records, 41 of them from iNaturalist and 33 carried in GBIF. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park anchors the named sites with 7 records, ahead of Ordway-Swisher Biological Station’s 3, though that marks a place the species is documented rather than a proven stronghold. NatureServe ranks the species S2, imperiled in Florida, and the statewide record is thin as well.

May produces the most reports, with 9, just ahead of March’s 8 and February’s 6. That spring bump could reflect more trapping, survey, or marsh access during those months rather than a real seasonal shift in muskrat activity, and it doesn’t reveal how many marshes across the state actually hold populations.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Round-tailed muskrat swimming at the surface among aquatic vegetation
Full species profile Round-tailed Muskrat Neofiber alleni Size 21.3 cm8.4 in Weight 265 g9.3 oz View the full profile

More mammals in Florida in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources: