The contractor has been able to identify the animal that lives in my creek. He says it’s a muskrat. At first, I was upset because a rat is a rat, no matter how many musks you put in its name. But then I researched it online and discovered that the Latin name for it is “Ondatra zibethicus.” And that’s good news because many people back in my country wear ondatra hats and coats, so it means this is a valuable animal and not just some stupid rat.
6 responses to “Ondatra”
-
Yup! Muskrats are also known as the “Hudson Seal”, and if you know the history of the Hudson Bay Company, that clues you into what the animal might be used for. 🙂
LikeLike
-
I didn’t know this. Interesting!
LikeLike
-
-
Muskrats are also quite tasty. I have seen muskrat fur coats once or twice. I am not sure whether they are a popular fur in the U. S. nowadays or not.
LikeLike
-
Nah, I can’t eat it, I’ve already given it a name. She’s called Nelly. 🙂
LikeLike
-
-
Food AS WELL AS hats – both valuable to the masses. This is a very valuable animal.
LikeLike
-
I thought that this post might end with you modeling your new hat.
There’s also this:
It says something about the 1970s in the US that this was only the second biggest love song to a rodent of the decade….
Number one was of course Ben by Michael Jackson.
LikeLike
A conservative literary critic and college professor
Clarissa's Blog 
Leave a comment