Being a country boy at heart, I spend a great amount of time researching where to find various wildlife around the Kansas City Metro Area. Today, I found Muskrats, or Ondatra zibethicus, in Lenexa, Kansas in the heart of the city. I saw one and his effortless swimming makes for great family entertainment as his head pops up and disappears under the water.
Though I visited at twilight this muskrat was active and appeared to enjoy human contact, though I don’t know his reaction to more than a few people. I’ve read that muskrats can stay underwater for up to 10 minutes and that would be long enough to send most viewers moving along to the next sight. Further research indicates that beavers also live alongside muskrats in relative harmony. Curiously, muskrats do not store food for the winter, however; they are known to raid beavers’ stores during cold spells.
Next to this marsh area is a paved walking trail with fantastic scenery… a river runs near the muskrats. Also, running about are a pack of coyotes, but only expect a glimpse at best as they are very reclusive.
Below is a map to the exact location of my muskrat sighting. Let me know if you head out that way and definitely bring your camera.
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