Animal I don't recognize

[kigh]

The other day I was running near the creek at my highschool, while looking I noticed a small rodent swimming in the creek and had no idea it was. It was to small for a beaver and had a tail that resembled a rat. My best guess is that it might be a muskrat....the environment of the creek is muddy and dirty and I live in Indiana...any ideas?

Kigh

[sporkius]

muskrat would be my guess. Might also be a young beaver or a mink. Dont really know what lives there but that would be my guess's

[geonyzl]

Do they have a very small eyes and always sniffing as if it always searching for something?:)

[kigh]

couldn't really tell.. they were in the water

[sorrels]

Hi,

The location is odd but it could be a nutria. They are native to South America and look like a very large rat. Some were brought to Louisiana and have become pests. I don't know the temperature limits for nutria but rodents are pretty hardy. It could be that warming is bring nutria north as is happening with armadillos.

There is no up side to having nutria. They are destructive of habitat for native species and a real pest in Louisiana and parts of Texas and Mississippi. People have hunted them for their pelts and even tried to sell the meat as being good to eat. I simply can't eat anything that looks that much like a rat.