Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are in the "rarely seen, but seen at least once" category of local wildlife. This little ball of fur later wandered into the arboretum and was seen swimming away quite happily with his or her strong paddle-like tail.
Muskrats have also been seen in the North Davis Pond aka Northstar Park from the overlook and in the park pond.
Muskrats are native here. Per the California Department of Fish and Game range maps, they are found throughout the portion of Yolo County that is in the Sacramento Valley. They are not found in most foothill areas of Yolo County, with the exception of Rumsey and the northwest corner of the county (west of Rumsey).
2011-05-13 03:13:13 Saw one down at Putah Creek by Old Davis road around Late March. It swam off when I started casting into the creek. —CarlosOverstreet
2013-02-21 21:22:08 I saw one last weekend during a walk at the Yolo Bypass! — it poked its head out of the water and looked at me, then it vanished back into the water. It looked like a beaver without the broad tail. —Chamoudah
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