Thursday, June 4, 2009

Muskrat or groundhog

I got this photo tonight at a boat ramp along the river, and I realized two things:



1. I can't tell the difference between a groundhog and a muskrat.

2. I need to make sure my camera has the right settings before I shoot in low light, or else I'll get an out-of-focus picture like this.


4 comments:

michelle said...

Hmmm, groundhogs have short fuzzy tails. Muskrats have long skinny tails, I think, like rats (only obviously thicker).

So I'm going to guess groundhog? (I can't get it to let me enlarge the picture so I can see his tail better) Or...a really giant, supersized guinea pig :)

michelle said...

Neat picture, though. The critters seem to like you. (I saw the one of the snake! Gah!)

tanstaafl said...

Groundhog!

"Catch that hog and tan his hide,
Makes the best shoestrings you ever tied. Groundhog!"

Anonymous said...

Yup, that is a groundhog. These cute little fella's are very fun to watch and depending on their attitude they can be "be-frended". I have had many in the garden and at one time did my best to get rid of them.

This spring I found an orphaned one in the yard, he was dehydrated and almost ready to die. Needless to say, now he's flourishing. He's learned to use a little box and loves the two cats and two dogs that he lives with.

Adults can have an attitude when approached in the wild and you need to take care with them. They are a member of the squirrel family and can be found in most of the USA.

Enjoy the encounters that you have with them!

Robert