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Muskrat
The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus''), the only species in genus ''Ondatra'' and tribe ''Ondatrini'', is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America, and is an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. It has important effects on the ecology of wetlands〔Keddy, P.A. (2010). ''Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation.'' (2nd edition) Cambridge, UK:Cambridge University Press.〕 and is a resource of food and fur for humans.
The muskrat is the largest species in the subfamily Arvicolinae, which includes 142 other species of rodents, mostly voles and lemmings. Muskrats are referred to as "rats" in a general sense because they are medium-sized rodents with an adaptable lifestyle and an omnivorous diet. They are not, however, so-called "true rats", that is, members of the genus ''Rattus''.
== Etymology ==
The muskrat's name probably comes by folk etymology from a word of Algonquin origin, ''muscascus'' (literally "it is red", so called for its colorings), or from the Abenaki native word ''mòskwas'', as seen in the archaic English name for the animal, ''musquash''. Because of the association with the "musky" odor, which the muskrat uses to mark its territory, and its flattened tail the name became altered to ''musk-beaver'';〔Hearne, Samuel. (1745–1792). ''A Journey to the Northern Ocean: The Adventures of Samuel Hearne.'' Surrey, BC: TouchWood Editions.〕 later it became ''muskrat'' due to its resemblance to rats.〔Caras, R. (1967). ''North American Mammals.'' New York: Galahad Books. ISBN 0-88365-072-X〕〔Nowak, R. & Paradiso, J. (1983). ''Walker's Mammals of the World''. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-2525-3〕
Similarly, its specific name ''zibethicus'' means ‘musky’, being the adjective of ラテン語:''zibethus'' ‘civet musk; civet’. The genus name comes from the Huron word for the animal, ''ondathra'', and entered New Latin as ''Ondatra'' via French.〔 Unabridged 〕
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