The Russian muskrat is an ancient animal.
The Russian muskrat is listed in the Red Book. This rare view, and their numbers are declining.
They live in Europe, preferring the banks of rivers and lakes. There are only two species of animals in the desman family - the Pyrenean desman and the Russian desman.
The Russian muskrat is a fairly large insectivore. The weight of the animal is up to 520 g, and the body length is from 18 to 20 cm. The tail is not inferior in length to the body, ranging from 18 to 21 cm.
The animal has a strong build, it has a cone-shaped head with an elongated nose. The nose is also called the proboscis. At the end of the animal's nose are nostrils. There are no ears, and when diving into water, the auditory openings close. The eyes are small and black, but the eyelids are well developed.
The animal has 44 teeth. The neck is almost invisible. The limbs are short, with five toes on each paw. The fingers are connected to each other by a membrane. Along the edges of the paws there is a border of hard hair, which increases the swimming surface of the paws.
The fur of the animal is thick, soft and silky. The fur coat is very durable and hardly gets wet, because it is greased. This is important because the animal swims in water in winter. The top of the fur (on the back) is gray or dark brown, and on the belly it is gray or slightly lighter than gray.
The tail is scaly, dark brown in color, with sparse hair. The eyes hardly see, but the sense of smell and touch are well developed. Feeds on insect larvae, mollusks, small fish, plant foods. In one day she eats as much food as she weighs. Wow! It turns out the muskrat is a glutton.
Feels good both in water and on land. Leads night look life. It chooses its place of residence in reservoirs with rich aquatic vegetation. It obtains food for itself using its proboscis. By loosening the silt at the bottom of the reservoir with its proboscis, the muskrat gets insects, larvae, and mollusks for lunch.
It builds its burrows in such a way that the only way out of it is underwater. The length of one mink can reach 12 meters. The muskrat builds its main nest under the roots of trees or bushes, which protects the house from collapses. The animal cannot get by with just a mink. He builds two more for himself, where he stores supplies and rests.
They live in families or pairs and huddle together in winter. Up to 15 animals can live in one hole. The muskrat is an excellent swimmer. In one second it can swim 25-30 meters.
Pregnancy lasts 45-50 days. Blind and naked babies are born. Usually there are from one to five of them in a litter. The weight of one animal is 3 grams. What a baby. They eat plant foods for a month, and already at 4 months they lead an independent life. Bears offspring twice a year.
Muskrat – close relative mole. For its ability to swim beautifully and dig long underground holes, it received another name - water mole. This animal comes to land only in cases of extreme necessity. His appearance a little unusual, especially the elongated snout and webbed clawed feet.
Once upon a time, the muskrat was common not only in Russia, but also in many European countries. Now there are only 2 species of this animal left in the world - the Russian muskrat (Latin Desmana moschata) and the Pyrenean muskrat (Galemys pyrenaicus).
Its habitat is very scattered and is mainly concentrated in areas such large rivers like the Volga, Dnieper, Ural and Don. In the rest river basins its numbers are small.
The most comfortable place for them to live is not very deep bodies of water with standing or slowly moving water. flowing water. Perfect option– small oxbow lakes or lakes with low sandy shores and nearby forest.
The entire appearance of the muskrat indicates its adaptability to the underwater lifestyle. This can be seen in its streamlined body shape, small ears and eyes, waterproof thick fur and swimming membranes on the front and hind legs.
The animal itself is small. It grows no more than 45 cm in length, half of which is in the powerful tail. The muskrat weighs about 500-550 grams. The small body is covered with thick and warm fur. Its hairs have an unusual structure: they are slightly thicker at the top than at the base. This feature is often found in waterfowl mammals. This gives the fur a certain strength and allows air particles to be distributed between the hairs, which is an excellent heat insulator. The back is painted dark brown or grey colour, and the abdomen is silver-gray.
Now let's pay attention to the long and slightly laterally compressed tail. It performs a wide variety of functions, from steering to heat regulation in the hot season. Unlike the body, the tail is not covered with fur, but with horny scales. A stripe of coarse hair runs along the top, forming a kind of keel. At the base of the muskrat's tail there are also special scent glands.
Webbed feet, bordered with bristles, act as a rowing oar. But small front paws are not very useful in this matter. Most of rowing occurs on the more powerful hind legs. Therefore, while swimming, the muskrat often tucks its forelimbs close to its body.
The long muzzle allows the animal to take a breath of air without sticking its entire body to the surface of the water. At the end of the elongated stigma there are nasal openings, which are closed by special valves during immersion in water. Thanks to special structure palate and pharynx, when eating at the bottom of a reservoir, water does not enter the windpipe.
Face of a Pyrenean muskrat Everything seems to be fine with the muskrat’s underwater equipment, but his eyesight has let him down. But it is fully compensated by an excellent sense of touch and smell.
The most comfortable habitat for a muskrat is water. Here she feels almost like a fish. But its main home is a hole. Most often there are several of them: one is the main one, where the nesting chamber is located, the rest are temporary (a kind of resting place). In burrows, muskrats live either alone or in small families. But in winter time in one hole there can be up to 10-12 individuals of different sexes and ages.
The entrance to the hole is always under water. The length of the dwelling is 2.5-3 meters. It has several nesting chambers lined with grass and leaves. Animals rest and dry out in them after spearfishing or swimming. Finding the way from the main hole to the temporary ones is quite easy. “trodden” odorous paths – trenches – lead to them.
It is possible to determine the location of such a trench. When moving along it, the animal releases the collected air and a number of small bubbles appear on the surface. In winter, thanks to these same bubbles, porous ice forms above the trench. As a result, conditions for better oxygen saturation are created in these places and various mollusks, fry, insect larvae (for example, rainbow beetles or caddis flies) and leeches tend to get here - all this is the main food of the muskrat. Thus, the prey itself falls into the clutches of the predator. All he can do is walk along his usual route of movement and collect the “harvest.” Sometimes the weight of what is eaten per day is equal to the weight of the animal itself.
During spring floods, their burrows quickly flood, which often leads to the death of the animal if they do not leave their home in time. As we already said, the ice above the trenches is porous and therefore breaks faster. Most often, this provides a chance for salvation.
In dry weather, they also have a hard time, especially if the reservoir begins to dry up. They are simply forced to go in search of a new home. On land, their movement speed is very low, and they can barely see. All this makes them easy prey for forest predators: foxes, ferrets, otters, wild cats and stray dogs, as well as kites and other large birds of prey. But the sharp musky smell of muskrats sometimes makes them change their mind about attacking it.
Their mating season coincides with the spring flood. It is at this time that many animals come out onto land, and the gentle melodic sounds of females and the loud chirping of males begin to be heard throughout the area. Fights often occur between males for the female.
After about 2 months of pregnancy, in May-June, from 1 to 5 cubs are born in one of the nesting chambers. They look a little scary: naked, blind and very small. Their birth weight is only 2-3 grams. The second peak in fertility occurs in November-December. If threatened, the female carries her offspring on her back to another burrow. The male is nearby all this time and protects the “family”. By 4-5 months, babies already become independent, and at 10-11 months they reach puberty.
In the 17th-20th centuries, the muskrat was considered a valuable game animal, hunted for its fur and the special secretion of its musk glands, which was used as a scent fixer for perfumes.
The muskrat is listed in the International Red Book and the Red Book of Russia as a species declining in numbers. The main reasons for its disappearance are the development of net fishing, as a result of which many animals die in the nets, drainage and pollution of water bodies, as well as deforestation.
Now their number, according to rough estimates, is about 30-35 thousand. In many places this animal appeared thanks to artificial resettlement. To protect and spread it, special reserves and sanctuaries are being created, where more than 30% of total number these animals.
The Russian muskrat is an amazing animal that has been comfortable on planet Earth for more than 30 million years. Both in past times and today, the appearance of this river animal, which resembles a small rat and belongs to the mole family for its ability to dig deep holes, has not changed at all.
Russian muskrat: description
Still the same, trunk-like, long nose, paws with membranes between the toes, compressed from the sides a long tail, covered with horny scales and is an excellent steering wheel on fast and sharp turns. The Russian desman has a well-streamlined body; its belly is silvery-white, its back is brown.
This coloring makes the animal almost invisible in the water, successfully camouflaging it as environment. The fur is quite thick and does not get wet, since the animal uses its hind legs to lubricate it with musk, produced by special glands located at the base of the tail. The Russian desman's eyesight is not good; its deficiency is fully compensated by its excellent sense of smell. Although the muskrat's hearing is well developed, it has some specificity. She can completely ignore people's conversations, but shudder at the slightest splash of water, a twig crunching under her foot, or a rustle in dry grass.
Burrows are the favorite places of the Russian desman
Russian muskrat, preferring places to live quiet current(lakes and creeks), likes to dig holes, complex and long (over 10 meters). Entire labyrinths are located in comfortable banks overgrown with forest vegetation. underground tunnels, the entrances to which are hidden under the water column. When the water level drops, the animal is forced to lengthen the underground passages, again leading them under the river surface.
The Russian desman also makes short burrows with a chamber and damp bedding, where in winter it replenishes air reserves when moving under the ice. The chambers in the burrows are mainly used for resting and eating.
What does the Russian muskrat eat?
Food for the Khokhuli (as the Russian muskrat is affectionately called in Rus') in spring, summer and autumn period serve leeches, crustaceans, aquatic insects and their larvae,
In winter, the Russian muskrat will not refuse a numb frog or sedentary small fish. Whole mountains of food scraps sometimes accumulate near the burrows - exactly what the animal needs: plenty of food and a good body of water with convenient places for burrows. Sometimes the daily weight of what is eaten is equal to the weight of the animal.
Caring for offspring
The muskrat can produce offspring (from one to five babies) twice a year. The cubs, whose weight does not exceed 2-3 grams, are born tiny, blind and naked. True, after two weeks their body is already covered with hairs. On days 23-24, the mother begins to introduce them to the outside world. In a month, the animals cut their teeth, they taste insect larvae and shellfish meat.
The female, a wonderful and caring mother, is helped by the father in caring for the offspring. If the adults leave the hole, the babies are then carefully covered with a “blanket” of plants. When danger approaches, the mother carries the babies on her back to a calmer place. By 7-8 months, the grown-up offspring become independent and leave their home.
Dangers at every turn
The lifespan of a muskrat is about 5 years, provided that it is not shortened external factors. And these can be unexpected winter rises of water, flooding holes in which entire families can die. Surviving individuals are forced to float to safety, or urgently dig temporary holes in safe places. The muskrat, deprived of natural shelters, finds itself in plain sight, which makes it accessible to birds of prey, raccoon dogs, foxes, and minks. It is in the spring that the muskrat moves to neighboring bodies of water, changing its usual habitat, which it seeks nearby (maximum 5-6 km from its old home).
In the water, the Russian muskrat faces danger from pike perch, pike, catfish and large ones. summer period the animal may not be able to withstand a long journey to a more favorable place and die along the way. Even in your own burrow, there is a danger of being harmed by the hooves of wild herds, which easily damage burrows located near the surface.
The muskrat successfully shares its habitat with beavers, sometimes using their trenches and burrows. Mutual respect is clearly evident in the relationships between these animals. A fact was even noticed when a muskrat climbed onto the back of a resting beaver, which the latter bore completely calmly.
See a Russian muskrat
Many curious people are interested in what the Russian muskrat looks like, because it is quite difficult to see it with the naked eye: it is very careful and sticks its nose to the surface of the water (in order to breathe) early in the morning or at evening hours. The closed way of life of an animal does not provide a full opportunity to penetrate its secrets, no matter how great the desire. It is very difficult to determine exactly where the Russian muskrat lives. Interesting facts were noticed by shepherds: in the places where this animal’s burrows are located, cows refuse to drink water. The living hole of a muskrat is given out by a persistent musky smell, which is why this animal was hunted until the mid-17th century. In Rus', dried muskrat tails were used to put linen in chests of drawers; a little later, the secretion of musk glands began to be used in perfume production as a scent fixer for expensive perfumes.
The existence of the muskrat is negatively affected by massive illegal fishing using steel nets and electric nets, which destroy not only fish, but also aquatic invertebrates - the main food of the muskrat.
Poaching is the main danger for aquatic animals
The most valuable fur of the Russian muskrat has become the reason for poaching of this animal, which sadly affected its numbers. In 1835, at a fair in Nizhny Novgorod 100,000 skins of this animal were exported, in 1913 - 60,000. Predatory extermination of river animals took place over many centuries, so today the Russian muskrat (the Red Book confirms this fact) is found only in a few places declared protected areas. This is the basin of the Ural, Don, Volga rivers, or rather certain sections of them. On this moment By expert assessment The Russian desman population numbers approximately 35,000 individuals.
Anthropogenic human activities are also responsible for the decline in animal numbers; this is deforestation, development of the banks of water basins - the original habitats of the muskrat, pollution industrial waste river waters, drainage of reservoirs. Even the usual presence of a person on a pond is the reason why the Russian muskrat feels restless. and Ukraine on its pages recorded the existing problem of the Russian muskrat population, for the rescue and preservation of which special Oksky and Klyazmensky were created.
The muskrat, or khokhulya, is a relict species of animals living mainly in Russia. Since 1986, the Russian muskrat has been included in the Red Book. The muskrat is a contemporary of the mammoth, one might say, a relict animal, an endemic. In ancient times, it lived virtually throughout Europe, but now its natural range is limited to the basins of the Dnieper, Don, Volga, and Ural. It is found in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Lithuania, and less often in Belarus.
The animal is closely related to the mole. For its ability to swim miraculously and dig excessively long underground holes, it is sometimes called the water mole. The animal appears on land very rarely. It has a rather unusual appearance; its webbed clawed feet and elongated face attract attention. Body 19-22 cm, tail approximately the same, weight 510 g.
Picture - Muskrat, crested shrew.
The entire tail is covered with horny scales, and on top there are bristly hairs that create a keel. At the base the tail has the smallest diameter. At the beginning of the tail there is a pear-shaped thickening, where specific (odorous, musky) glands are located; oily musk comes out through many holes located in the thickenings below. After thickening, the tail narrows strongly on both sides. The nose is an elongated trunk. Vibrissae excessively long; there are many sensitive hairs on the body.
Photo. Muskrat, crested shrew, shrew - after swimming.
It has short 5-toed limbs, the hind feet are larger than the front ones. The fingers are connected by a swimming membrane. The claws are oblong, slightly curved. A border of elastic hair runs from the edge of the paws, lengthening the swimming surface.
And in this photo, admire how we swim.
The fur covering of the muskrat is thick, velvety, durable, the hairs expand towards the top. Teeth - 44. Muskrats are almost blind. But they have an excellent sense of smell and touch.
The breeding season begins in the spring. The rut occurs against the backdrop of male fights. Pregnancy lasts 45-50 days, after which 1 or 5 babies appear, blind and naked, weighing 2-3.3 g, which is half the size of a newborn rat. A nest is made from wet algae in a pond in a nesting chamber. Two offspring per year (end of May - June, November - December). At one month, babies are fed adult food and become completely independent at 5 months.
The Russian muskrat or khokhulya is an animal from the Red Book: description, photos, pictures and videos, what the muskrat shrew looks like and where it lives.
Photo. Russian muskrat.
We offer you to watch the video film “Russian Muskrat”
and another short video about the nimble shrew Khokhulya.
Classification
View: Russian muskrat
Family: Moles
Squad: Shrews
Class: Mammals
Type: Chordata
Subtype: Vertebrates
Dimensions: body length: 18-22 cm and tail about the same length; body weight: up to 500 g
Lifespan: 4 years in the wild, up to 5 years in captivity
The muskrat is one of the strangest and most mysterious species of animals, on the verge of extinction.
Modern photos This animal may become the last in nature if efforts are not made to preserve this amazing species.
Find high quality photo muskrat, and even more so to see her in natural conditions habitat is becoming increasingly difficult.
This amazing and very strange animal is rapidly dying out. Whether our descendants will see it in nature is a big question.
Looking at the photo, it seems that the positive and eternal smile never leaves the face of this animal.
Habitat
The muskrat, also known as the khokhulya or simply the Russian muskrat, is an endemic species, that is, living in a narrow territory.
Mostly in Russia (the basins of the Ural, Don and Dnieper rivers, in the upper reaches of the Volga), but also in some areas former USSR- in Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
In fact, the fur only seems wet from the outside - it is just a thin film of water, under which it is dry and warm
Unlike many other mammals, this underwater inhabitant does not hibernate in winter: activity remains at the same level.
Moreover, in winter months work is literally in full swing to raise a new generation of cubs, which... By the way, it happens again in the summer.
Interesting! The name “khokhulya” comes from the obsolete verb “khukhat”, that is, “to stink”. This is due to the musk odor released by the muskrat's scaly tail.
Nutrition
The muskrat eats a lot - up to a volume equal to own weight per day! The animal is an excellent hunter, despite its natural blindness.
Long whiskers are the main source of external signals about outside world and about the movement of potential production, among other things.
The species is positioned as an insectivore, but in practice the diet is much richer. In summer, the khokhulya eats leeches, river insects, and gastropods.
In winter, he manages to catch small fish and partially switches to a plant-based diet.
To find food, this furry hunter carefully examines the bottom of the reservoir with his amazing nose and digs up the mud with his paws. The prey is brought to a hole or a safe place, where the hunt gives way to a meal.
A good catch is the river mussel. But it's just a light snack
The “water moles” themselves often become victims of more large predators:, foxes and stoats, as well as birds like the kite, golden eagle or marsh harrier.
List dangerous enemies small waterfowl is great. However, the most great danger not in predators, but in animals such as mink.
They displace muskrats from their natural habitats.
Reproduction
The mating season for muskrats begins during the spring flood.
Sexually mature individuals (about 11 months old) create pairs just at the time when they leave the flooded burrows.
These days, the silence on the river banks is broken by the loud chirping of males and the melodic sounds made by females. Tough battles between males are common.
Couples are formed at the time of a general disaster - the flooding of familiar homes
Pregnancy lasts about 50 days. One female gives birth to no more than 5 cubs. Sometimes there is only one.
The babies are hairless, in addition they are blind and completely helpless. They need protection, for which the mother makes a nest from bottom plants.
The cubs weigh about 3 g and grow in conditions of very low temperature and incredible humidity. Muskrats breed in May-June and November-December.
Males remain nearby with the brood. After only 4 months, babies become adults and completely independent.
Interesting!In case of danger, the female can transport the cubs to another hole on her own back.
Relationship with a person
As already mentioned, man's main contribution to this species is its destruction. Once upon a time, the khokhulya was a commercial species.
The reason was the musk secreted by the glands on the mammal's tail. Until the 17th century, this factor remained the only one due to which the animal was mercilessly exterminated.
This allowed the population to increase. From 1940 to 1957, trapping continued, and then was banned again. Now it was possible to catch Khokhulya only for the purpose of resettlement.
Man became the main culprit in the disappearance of this relict species, and today zoologists are making great efforts to preserve it
Considerable work has been done in this direction. Muskrats were populated in areas where they had never existed before. Nature reserves and sanctuaries were created.
Today, work to preserve the rare relict species continues.
Most of all in Russia, the endemic is found in the areas:
- Kursk region;
- Smolenskaya;
- Bryansk;
- Tambovskaya;
- Ivanovskaya;
- Kostroma;
- Yaroslavl;
- Vladimir regions.
The maximum number of individuals (about two thousand) lives in the Kurgan region. In Siberia, the number of species in last years dropped to critical levels.
There is no specific data on keeping muskrats at home.
This is not difficult to understand from the description of the mammal’s lifestyle: it needs a lot of food, a special microclimate, a place where it can dig a large hole or trench, as well as a reservoir.
This photo - very rare. This is due to the secretive lifestyle and the low probability of meeting a representative of this species in nature.
But the animal is still bred in captivity - zoological parks have such experience.
There it also increases average age animals compared to their counterparts living in the wild for an average of one year.
Thus, about no home care there is no question. Except in cases where all necessary conditions, but it’s impossible to do this in a city apartment.
Today, scientists have a great responsibility on their shoulders: the task of preserving the muskrat in its natural habitat.
If you don't give everything possible efforts, then in 50 years children will learn about this funny waterfowl only from documentaries and those few photos that can be found on the Internet.
Muskrat: The most unusual inhabitant of rivers
The muskrat is one of the strangest and most mysterious species of animals, on the verge of extinction. Modern photographs of this animal in nature may become the last if efforts are not made to preserve this amazing species.
Loading...
