Muskrat eating breakfast – Nikon D500, f10, 1/500, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Yesterday I photographed a muskrat I found eating green filamentous algae at Farmington Bay WMA which I thought was interesting because I had never seen one eating algae before. There may have been pieces of cattails in the algae, I can’t be certain about that though. I did a Google search using the key words “muskrat eating filamentous algae” and I found a few other images where it does appear that the muskrats are indeed eating filamentous algae.
The muskrat I photographed seemed to grasp the strands of the algae while pulling it towards its mouth as it ate it. It almost looked as if the muskrat was sucking or slurping the algae into its mouth.
My opportunities with these aquatic rodents are limited because when I find them they are usually swimming away from me so when I find one that is out in the open and cooperative I get excited. I probably took more images of this one yesterday than I really needed to but I couldn’t resist.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Muskrat photos plus facts and information about this species.
Ahhh, Muskrat Love. 😉
How I wish we had some of those algae eaters – and love the vision of them slurping it like spaghetti.
Great photo. I have photos of a muskrat eating that algae and, I agree, it looks like they are sucking on it. Maybe the green slimy bits are the best. Ick!
Great shot, all I have are them swimming.