It can be difficult for inexperienced fur farmers to immediately understand how nutria differs from an otter and a muskrat. The animals are very similar to each other, spend a lot of time in water and belong to the rodent family. But there are also different features, external and other. Each group of mammals has its own characteristic habits, reproductive characteristics, preferences for food and habitats.
Description of animals
Externally, the animals look like large rats. A long tail, sharp teeth and claws help to survive in difficult conditions. Rodents feel comfortable both on land and in the aquatic environment.
Nutria
Nutria is a fairly large animal. weighing up to 12 kilograms, which is also called the swamp beaver. Other characteristics of the rodent:
- The body is strong and long (0.5 meters excluding the tail), and the head is small.
- The fangs are orange.
- The hind legs are webbed, the forelimbs have 5 toes.
- The color is brown, with a lighter shade of fur on the belly.
Nutria skin is several times stronger than fox skin, and the fibers are longer than those of rabbits. The “fur coat” has the best characteristics in winter. Thanks to membranes, nutria stays well on the surface of the water and can dive.
The animal can stay at depth for almost 10 minutes. The special structure of tightly closing lips and the presence of locking muscles in the nose allows them to gnaw plant trunks in water.
The animals do not like the cold, despite their thick fur. Nutria avoid regions where frosty weather lasts for a long time. Animals do not know how to find food under the snow.
Otter
Otters are predatory animals. They lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle. The muzzle of the animals is elongated, like the body. The body reaches almost a meter in length. Characteristic features:
- Short webbed feet.
- Scaly tail from 26 to 55 centimeters.
- The fur is dark with a brown tint on the back and gray with silver tints on the belly.
The density of the otter's cover is higher than that of the nutria. Each square centimeter contains at least 50 thousand fibers. Water is not able to wet the fluffy skin. This ability allows the animal not to freeze even in icy water. Otter fur is valued all over the world. To obtain valuable raw materials, animals are specially bred in captivity.
Muskrat
Muskrats, or musk rats, belong to a subclass of voles. Externally, the animals look like large gray rats. Distinctive features:
- An oval body 35 centimeters long and a flattened tail of the same size.
- Webbed hind legs.
- A small head with a blunt muzzle on a short neck. The ears are almost invisible due to the thick fur.
- The lips fit tightly around the incisors. Like nutria, muskrats can feed underwater.
- The skin is dark on top and gray with blue on the lower part of the body.
The muskrat uses its scaly tail as a rudder when moving through the water.
Key Similarities and Differences
The heaviest of the trinity of rodents is nutria. Adult males weigh about 12 kilograms. Otters are quite a bit behind, their body weight reaches 10 kilograms. In this regard, muskrats stand out among their peers. The animals are very light - only 1.8 kilograms. There are similarities and differences in other characteristics.
What do they eat?
The food preferences of the animals are quite similar, but not in everything.
| Animal name | Diet |
| Nutria | The basis of nutria food is vegetation on the banks of lakes or rivers, as well as aquatic vegetation. Sometimes the animal eats frogs, shellfish or fish. |
| Muskrat | The animal also eats plant foods. Prefers reeds and thistles, loves reeds, cattails or arrowheads. Catches newts or leeches, but only if it lacks green food. Animal food takes up no more than 5% of the total food volume. |
| Otter | Small predators hunt birds. Ducks and waders often become prey for otters. But more often the animals catch river inhabitants. Lizards, newts and frogs are not ignored. In search of food, animals are able to travel up to 15 kilometers even in winter. |
The otter prefers to eat animal food, unlike its other two brothers. There is also a difference between the musk rat and the swamp beaver.The former build burrows in which they store winter food resources. The latter never stockpile food.
Where live
The difference between nutria and muskrat is manifested in their attitude to cold. Swamp beavers do not tolerate frost; musk rats thrive in harsh weather conditions. The otter is not afraid of harsh winters either.
Animals live:
| Name | Habitat |
| Nutria | From South America, animals were brought to Europe and the regions of Transcaucasia. Animals can also be found in Kyrgyzstan. |
| Muskrat | America, only the northern part of the continent, is also considered the homeland of musk rats. Muskrats are also common in Eurasian countries. In Russia they live in Kamchatka, the Far East and Siberia. |
| Otter | Distributed in Europe. Inhabits North Africa and Asian regions. Magadan, Chukotka and other regions have large populations of otters. |
Nutria usually live near bodies of water. Animals form small colonies of up to 15 individuals. Burrows are dug in steep slopes along the banks.
Muskrats also prefer densely wooded areas along rivers. The entrance to the burrow is usually hidden under water. Animals also make homes in reed beds. Animals do not live in a pack. Individual families occupy different feeding areas.
Otters lead a solitary lifestyle. Similarity with other members of the family is manifested in the preference for areas overgrown with vegetation near water. In such places it is easy to catch fish and find a secluded shelter.
Features of reproduction
The gestation periods are different for all three rodents. There are other differences:
| Species of mammal | Reproduction |
| Nutria | Swamp beavers carry their young for 130 days. Sexual heat occurs once a month. There are up to 6 babies in a litter.Females give birth three times a year. |
| Muskrat | Pregnancy lasts only a month. They breed throughout the year in warm regions, and in cold climates in spring and summer. At one time, the female gives birth to up to 8 individuals. |
| Otter | The fruit is formed in 2 months. Each litter contains up to 4 cubs. Otters mate all year round. |
A characteristic feature of otters is their short gestation periods. Under favorable conditions, offspring are born after 63 days. In frosty weather and when food is scarce, females do not give birth. Animals begin to whelp when circumstances change for the better. Sometimes pregnancy lasts 270 days. Farmers are interested in animals because of their valuable fur. Nutria are also bred for their useful meat.
