North Dakota Furbearer Profiles

To understand wildlife management

To identify endangered species

To promote hunting

To study climate change

Small aquatic rodent

Short, dense fur

Lives in deserts

Herbivorous diet

Long ears and tail

Short legs and webbed feet

Large eyes and flat tail

Long legs and hairy tail

Introduction of new species

Translocation by Game and Fish Dept.

Natural migration

Conservation by local communities

White

Brown to nearly black

Gray

Golden

Solitary

In groups

In pairs

In colonies

Muskrats

Fish

Birds

Insects

Herbivorous, eating aquatic vegetation

Carnivorous, eating fish

Omnivorous, eating plants and animals

Insectivorous, eating insects

It occurs from December to April

It lasts for 61-63 days

It results in a litter size of 1-6

It is delayed for 8 months

Fish, crayfish, and frogs

Insects and small mammals

Fruits and vegetables

Leaves and grass

Slender body, bushy tail, orange throat patch

Flattened body, bushy tail, white stripes

Stocky body, long claws, black feet

Slender body, short tail, black stripes

Deserts with sparse vegetation

Forested habitats with varying vertical structures

Open grasslands

Urban areas with dense population

Flattened body, bushy tail, white stripes

Flattened body, stocky build, bushy tail

Flattened body, stocky build, long claws

Slender body, bushy tail, orange throat patch

Short, dense fur

Live in water

Build dams

All of the above

Castor canadensis

Lutra lutra

Ondatra zibethicus

Procyon lotor