a lifelong Michigander...enjoy photography and have a new camera to learn. favorite subjects include flowers, light and its effects, Marty the family Welsh springer,...
What a fabulous find and a brilliant image. However, Amy, I think you might have misidentified this creature. I am not familiar with Muskrats, we don't have them this side of the Atlantic. We do have Otters though, and I am sure this is a River Otter. The face is just right, as are the paws and the paler fur on its front. The tail though it looks smooth, is that way because it is wetter than the rest of the body, and the entire body can look very sleek when very wet.
One other give away is that Muskrats are herbivores, and stick to plants. Otters are ruthless and very skilled hunters of fish, as here, but also crabs and other shellfish.
@markp Thanks for the compliment and I laughed when I saw your info regarding identification. I'd spent a lot of time trying to pin down the ID on this guy. Read (and re-read) this article: https://www.maxwaugh.com/2015/06/27/animal-identification-throwdown-otter-vs-beaver-vs-muskrat/ which is pretty interesting and finally decided on muskrat but certainly wasn't 100% sure. We most often see muskrats, but last year at the same location where I took this photo, we saw 2 river otters, so thinking you may be correct. I couldn't get much from this photo regarding the body shape and I do think that is a fish it is eating. Thanks for the info and I've adjusted the title! :)
Thank you. No problem, I saw the photo before the title and thought that’s a brilliant otter capture. When I saw your title I thought oh !!
I had to look up Muskrat to see what exactly they were.
I’ve seen Otters over here doing very much the same thing as in your image.
One other give away is that Muskrats are herbivores, and stick to plants. Otters are ruthless and very skilled hunters of fish, as here, but also crabs and other shellfish.
I had to look up Muskrat to see what exactly they were.
I’ve seen Otters over here doing very much the same thing as in your image.