"I'm not a beaver!" When they are in the water, it's easy to see why people mistake muskrats for beavers. Both are semi-aquatic rodents that are brown and furry. Once out of the water, you can spot the differences between the two species. Muskrat: Skinny tail. Smaller in size (adults weigh around 4 pounds). Pointy face. Good at scritches. Beaver: Big flat tail. Much larger (adults weigh between 30 - 60 pounds). Probably also good at scritches. Video by K. Theule/ USFWS Video description: A small

This Muskrat was spotted at Allegany State Park feeding at the big platform of the new wetland boardwalk. Muskrats are smaller than beavers but they prefer the same wetland habitat and are excellent swimmers, capable of staying underwater for 15 minutes at a time. Muskrats have a long laterally compressed tail reaching 8-12” in length which they use to help steer when swimming. Their diet consists mainly of plants, such as cattails, water lilies and pond weed but they will eat snails, fish, frog