It is hard to guess what a Muskrat weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) on average weights 992 grams (2.19 lbs).
The Muskrat is from the family Muridae (genus: Ondatra). It is usually born with about 22 grams (0.05 lbs). They can live for up to 10 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 27.7 cm (0′ 11″). On average, Muskrats can have babies 2 times per year with a litter size of 6.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), the only species in genus Ondatra and tribe ondatrini, is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. It has important effects on the ecology of wetlands, and is a resource of food and fur for humans.The muskrat is the largest species in the subfamily Arvicolinae, which includes 142 other species of rodents, mostly voles and lemmings. Muskrats are referred to as “rats” in a general sense because they are medium-sized rodents with an adaptable lifestyle and an omnivorous diet. They are not, however, members of the genus Rattus.
Animals of the same family as a Muskrat
We found other animals of the Muridae family:
- Southern African spiny mouse with a weight of 26 grams
- Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat with a weight of 62 grams
- Southern climbing mouse with a weight of 89 grams
- Abrothrix lanosus with a weight of 27 grams
- Dusky rat with a weight of 146 grams
- Chestnut white-bellied rat with a weight of 81 grams
- Japen rat with a weight of 380 grams
- Chibchan water mouse with a weight of 50 grams
- Northern red-backed vole with a weight of 19 grams
- Tete veld aethomys with a weight of 133 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Muskrat
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Ondatra zibethicus:
- Screaming hairy armadillo bringing 930 grams to the scale
- Lesser grison with a weight of 1 kilos (2.2 lbs)
- White-eared opossum with a weight of 1.03 kilos (2.27 lbs)
- Black flying squirrel with a weight of 1.19 kilos (2.62 lbs)
- Water opossum bringing 977 grams to the scale
- Eastern lesser bamboo lemur bringing 936 grams to the scale
- Sunda flying lemur with a weight of 1.11 kilos (2.45 lbs)
- American marten bringing 878 grams to the scale
- Common echymipera bringing 825 grams to the scale
- Mexican prairie dog bringing 900 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Muskrat
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Muskrat:
- European hedgehog with a size of 23.7 cm (0′ 10″)
- Allen’s woodrat with a size of 22.3 cm (0′ 9″)
- Golden-rumped elephant shrew with a size of 27.3 cm (0′ 11″)
- D’Albertis’ ringtail possum with a size of 32.5 cm (1′ 1″)
- Small-toothed sportive lemur with a size of 32.4 cm (1′ 1″)
- Eastern gray squirrel with a size of 25.4 cm (0′ 10″)
- Pied tamarin with a size of 23.9 cm (0′ 10″)
- Hooded skunk with a size of 30.8 cm (1′ 1″)
- Black-capped squirrel monkey with a size of 30.9 cm (1′ 1″)
- Yellow-bellied weasel with a size of 26 cm (0′ 11″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Muskrat
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (6) as a Muskrat:
- Harris’s antelope squirrel
- Roborovski dwarf hamster
- Brush-tailed phascogale
- Flat-headed vole
- New Guinean quoll
- Raccoon dog
- Cinereus shrew
- Eurasian water shrew
- Desert dormouse
- Gray leaf-eared mouse
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Muskrat
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Muskrat:
- Greater bamboo lemur with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Malayan civet with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Short-eared dog with an average maximal age of 11 years
- White-footed sportive lemur with an average maximal age of 8.58 years
- Bioko Allen’s bushbaby with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Cave myotis with an average maximal age of 11.25 years
- Lesser long-nosed bat with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Mountain nyala with an average maximal age of 11 years
- White-tailed mongoose with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Black giant squirrel with an average maximal age of 10.08 years