Beginning hunters can not always determine who is in front of them: an otter, nutria or muskrat. And this is normal - the animals are actually similar. However, differences do exist. Which of these rodents is who, and will be described further.

What is the difference between muskrat and nutria and otter

Each of these representatives is a mammal that leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle. They are valued mainly for good fur, but in appearance and in the nature of their behavior they are completely different.

Did you know? Today, there are only 88–90 thousand otters on Earth. In the 18th century, their number was five times greater.

Nutria (literally translated from Spanish as otter) belongs to the Nutria family and is its only representative. Outwardly resembles a large rat. America is considered the birthplace of this animal.

Under the ice, the nutria practically loses its orientation: when it dives into the hole, it finds no return and dies.

Muskrat (musk rat) is a family of hamsters and is a rodent. Her genus is represented by one species. It differs from other rodents in large sizes. Initially, North America was considered the habitat, but in the twentieth century the animal was brought to Europe, where they perfectly took root and spread to Asia, taiga and forest-steppe.

Muskrat can swim back and forth.

The otter represents a squad of predators. It lives in fresh water. This animal, leading a mobile life, is found throughout Europe (except Switzerland and the Netherlands), Asia and North Africa.

Despite the fact that the otter lives in many places, it belongs to endangered species and is under state protection.

Appearance

The first parameter by which animals can be distinguished is external data.

Otter

The size	Body - 55–95 cm Tail - 26–55 cm
The weight	6-10 kg
Color	Dark brown on top, silver on the bottom.
Body shape	Streamlined, elongated The body is quite thin, flexible The tail is muscular, without hair The head is flat, small, placed on a long neck. The eyes are small, round, directed forward and up. Paws are short, with membranes. The hind limbs are longer than the front.
Fur	Thick, not wet Ost smooth, coarse, greased with grease

Muskrat

The size	Body - 28–40 cm Tail - 28 cm
The weight	1–1.5 kg
Color	Black, dark brown, brown on the back, yellowish on the belly.
Body shape	The case is oval, heavy. On the hind limbs there are membranes. The nails are long, sharp. The tail is oblong, covered with scales, has no hair. The skull is small, the face is dull. Eyes set high, ears small.
Fur	Does not let water through, elastic, with soft undercoat.

Nutria

The size	Case Length 60 cm Tail - 45 cm
The weight	5-12 kg
Color	Chestnut. On the sides a little lighter, with a yellow tint.
Body shape	The head is massive, with disproportionately small eyes and ears. The face is dumb. If the animal has bright orange incisors, this indicates the strength of the body. Pale teeth with dark spots indicate poor health. The limbs are short. On the hind legs there are membranes. The tail is rounded, almost bald, covered with scales.
Fur	Waterproof. Coarse coarse, thick undercoat, convoluted.

Special characteristics of animals

The behavior and lifestyle of these animals has both common qualities and differences.

Otter	Muskrat	Nutria
Life style semi-aquatic, nightly. He is a clever fish hunter. It also moves quickly by land, hunched over a bit. For living, he chooses deaf places inaccessible to civilization. When kept in a cell, a cheerful, playful disposition is noted. The otter is secretive and cautious, in open areas it never goes ashore. Good eyesight. Moreover, animals are seen perfectly both on the shore and in the water. Turbid water is also not a hindrance - the otter finds a victim with vibrissae.	It leads mainly an aquatic lifestyle, often seen in thickets of herbs. For housing, he builds holes and huts over land. Active around the clock, but show great activity at dusk. A bold animal, if a person seems to him an enemy, can attack him.	He has a good ear - even with a little rustling, he is guarded and looked around. The slowness of the animal is only the first impression. In fact, nutria quickly jumps around. It is also worth mentioning that she quickly gets tired. Swamp beaver (the animal got such a name for its lifestyle) has poor eyesight and sense of smell. Due to the specific structure of the organs of vision in the dark, they see better. In the natural habitat, the animal’s active life begins at night. When breeding in captivity, activity is observed both day and night. Nutria swims well and submerges under water. On hot days, she hides in the shade and avoids unnecessary mobility. In natural conditions, it is not adapted for wintering in freezing reservoirs, does not build dwellings, does not make supplies.

All these animals are great swimmers. Therefore, if you decide to breed them at home, you should take care of a small reservoir in which the animals will splash. Otherwise, the quality of their fur will suffer greatly. Wild individuals need to be taken in infancy.

Otter Diet: Fish. But it can hunt crayfish, frogs, water rats. Sometimes birds and rodents can become victims. The animal can eat plant foods.

Mating otters usually occurs in spring (March - April), but in captivity they can mate all year. Pregnancy lasts 63 days. The brood is 2–4 puppies. Life expectancy up to 10 years.

Muskrat ration: Mostly plant foods: reeds, reeds, sow thistles, cattail, etc. It can eat small fish and leeches, but the proportion of these products does not exceed 5% of the diet.

Muskrats do not tolerate strangers at all. With excessive overpopulation of the territory during battles, there are even cases of cannibalism.

In warm regions, this species can breed all year round, and in cold regions only in warm times (March - August). Pregnancy lasts 25-30 days. The litter contains 6–8 babies. Life expectancy of 5-10 years.

Nutria diet: In vivo, it can feed on crayfish, shellfish, and leeches. But the main diet is plant foods.

It can reproduce year-round. The duration of pregnancy is 127–137 days. 4–5 cubs appear in the litter. Life expectancy of 6-8 years.

Read also articles on this topic:

Breeds of nutria: top most popular, appearance, features Breeding of nutria

What does nutria eat at home and in nature

Nutria diseases: the main signs of diseases, treatment Nutria breeding

Cages for nutria: how to make at home, description and drawings Breeding of nutria

Breeding nutria - problems: the female chases the male, no offspring Breeding nutria

Nutria as a business: profitable or not, drawing up a business plan, content and marketing of products Breeding of nutria All articles

The difference between muskrat, otter, nutria and beaver

All these animals are the only representatives of their families. But still there is a difference between them.

Otters differ in such characteristics:

• tail rounded, long, bare, more like a rat;
• maximum weight is 10-12 kg;
• can eat plant foods, river inhabitants, rodents;
• mainly lead a semi-nomadic lifestyle in search of food and shelter; they can live in abandoned animal dwellings;
• lead both day and night life styles, but their traces are hardly noticeable;
• Do not pose a threat to people.

Did you know? In Bangladesh, otters are used as hunting animals - they are trained to fish in the net.

Beavers have the following features:

• the tail is oar-shaped, flat, has a horn keel and is covered with plates;
• the average weight is 20-30 kg;
• It feeds exclusively on plant foods; its favorite food is wood;
• build huts and dams to ensure an adequate water level;
• lead a nocturnal lifestyle and traces of their activity are much more noticeable;
• often cause irreparable damage to a person.

As you can see, although these animals are similar at first glance, they have differences. Knowing all the features and characteristics, it is easy to distinguish each member of the otter family.