A hungry muskrat

Two weeks ago I made a trip to Mingo Wildlife Refuge near Puxico, Missouri. One of the most interesting things I saw was the activity of the muskrat pictured here.

Swamp maple trees along a stream had gone to seed, and thousands of their seeds were floating on the water surface. These seeds are a high energy food source to herbivores such as muskrats.

I suspect this is a female muskrat with a den of baby muskrats nearby. She swam in random circles on the surface for at least 20 minutes eating maple seeds as I watched. It is fascinating how seeds growing in the tops of trees, where a muskrat could never go, become a nutritious food for the muskrat at this most opportune time.