06/09/2026
Let’s move on to talk about our more furry friends!
Muskrats, beavers, and fishers are some of the mammals in our wetlands.
Starting with beavers, our natural dam builders. They are New York's official state Animal. They can grow to be about 110 pounds; they are incredibly strong and amazing swimmers. Beavers are a keystone species, meaning their presence is essential for biodiversity and a healthy, sustainable ecosystem. Beavers accomplish this promotion of biodiversity by altering the habitat of an area by building dams and changing water flows. They are herbivorous, consuming tree bark, aquatic plants, grasses, and sedges.
Moving on to muskrats, they are way smaller, weighing about 4 pounds. The animal is named for the musky odour of a yellowish substance produced by its perineal glands that comes out in their urine and is used to make lodges and claim land. Muskrats eat a wide range of things, mostly grasses and cattails; however, occasionally predatory, taking freshwater mussels, snails, crustaceans, salamanders, fish, and young birds for food.
Last but not least, fishers. The fisher cat is near the top of the food chain and have very few predators besides humans. Fishers were so wildly hunted in the 18th century that they became locally extinct, but conservation efforts brought them back slowly but surely. A male can weigh 8-13 pounds, while a female will grow to about half that size. Despite their name, they do not eat fish. Fishers are generalist predators. Although their primary prey is snowshoe hares and porcupines, they are also known to supplement their diet with insects, nuts, berries, and mushrooms. If you wanna spot one, they are most active at dawn and dusk.
These three mammals are major parts of our wetland ecosystem and keep it running and healthy. If you want to learn more about either wetlands or beavers, check back in on Thursday for more blogs and podcasts.
