What is the maximal age a Muskrat reaches?
An adult Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) usually gets as old as 10 years.
Muskrats are around 27 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 22 grams (0.05 lbs) and measure 5.1 cm (0′ 3″). As a member of the Muridae family (genus: Ondatra), a Muskrat caries out around 6 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 2 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 27.7 cm (0′ 11″).
As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.
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
Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Muridae):
- Chaco grass mouse bringing the scale to 51 grams
- Cauca climbing mouse bringing the scale to 89 grams
- Beaded wood mouse with 4 babies per pregnancy
- Oecomys cleberi bringing the scale to 73 grams
- Mount Apo forest mouse bringing the scale to 34 grams
- Northern bog lemming with 4 babies per pregnancy
- Yucatan deer mouse with 3 babies per pregnancy
- Slender harvest mouse with 3 babies per pregnancy
- Red hocicudo becoming 2.58 years old
- Louise’s spiny mouse bringing the scale to 20 grams
Animals that reach the same age as Muskrat
With an average age of 10 years, Muskrat are in good companionship of the following animals:
- Edible dormouse usually reaching 9 years
- Barbary ground squirrel usually reaching 9 years
- Congo rope squirrel usually reaching 9.5 years
- Javan mongoose usually reaching 10 years
- Grey-bellied squirrel usually reaching 9.5 years
- Island fox usually reaching 8 years
- Bengal fox usually reaching 10 years
- Short-tailed chinchilla usually reaching 10 years
- African clawless otter usually reaching 11 years
- Southern tamandua usually reaching 9 years
Animals with the same number of babies Muskrat
The same number of babies at once (6) are born by:
- California ground squirrel
- Little red kaluta
- Long-tailed weasel
- Northern quoll
- Seven-banded armadillo
- Arctic shrew
- Chinese striped hamster
- Greater bandicoot rat
- Common shrew
- Woolly mouse opossum
Weighting as much as Muskrat
A fully grown Muskrat reaches around 992 grams (2.19 lbs). So do these animals:
- Potto weighting 1.08 kilos (2.38 lbs) on average
- Striped polecat with 812 grams
- North African hedgehog with 931 grams
- Spotted linsang weighting 1.14 kilos (2.51 lbs) on average
- American mink with 904 grams
- Herbert River ringtail possum weighting 1.1 kilos (2.43 lbs) on average
- Andean squirrel with 803 grams
- Tapeti with 988 grams
- Rock cavy with 800 grams
- Azara’s night monkey with 929 grams
Animals as big as a Muskrat
Those animals grow as big as a Muskrat:
- Bulmer’s fruit bat with 24.5 cm (0′ 10″)
- Greater grison with 25.7 cm (0′ 11″)
- Amur hedgehog with 24.9 cm (0′ 10″)
- Hamlyn’s monkey with 28 cm (1′ 0″)
- Long-tailed chinchilla with 30.5 cm (1′ 1″)
- Painted ringtail possum with 26.5 cm (0′ 11″)
- Striped bandicoot with 26.7 cm (0′ 11″)
- Saharan striped polecat with 24.2 cm (0′ 10″)
- Mexican fox squirrel with 28.3 cm (1′ 0″)
- Black-bearded flying fox with 28.5 cm (1′ 0″)