Here you see a muskrat taking food to cache it in the rodent’s burrowed den this weekend. That den is hidden in the bank of our pond with an entrance that apparently is under water. I can’t tell what the reddish-orange food is; it’s not an apple, but may be a root.
Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) don’t hibernate. They have dense fur and, during extreme winter conditions, they’ll remain underground in their dens or floating lodges where they’ve stored food. The lodges look like small-scale beaver lodges surrounded by water.
When the pond surface freezes, the muskrats often chew access holes into the ice a good distance from their den or lodge entrance so as not to disclose their home’s location. They cover the holes with vegetation and other organic matter to prevent refreezing. (Image taken in Brooklin, Maine, on November 4, 2023.)