Ralph Waldo Emerson recognized that “to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

If so, then that truth would make muskrats quite accomplished. Muskrats are semi-aquatic animals that just do their own thing, and are their own selves as the world around them tries to make them into something they are not.

Start with supper. Eating muskrat is a tradition in some communities, and muskrat fundraising dinners still occur in parts of the country. It helps that, since these mammals live in water, they can be considered akin to fish and thus eaten during the Catholic prohibition on consuming flesh during Lent.

Many names have emerged for this peculiar prote

in, which is clearly not a fish even if it pretends to be one on Lenten Sundays. Some have referred to muskrats as a four-legged fish, and restaurants that have tried to popularize it on their menu used other euphemisms such as heirloom meat, marsh rabbit, or gourmet rabbit. Not sure if folks were fooled.

Muskrats are neither a rabbit nor a true rat, even if their appearance might be described as a large rat. Found in their own genus, Ondatra, these marsh-dwelling mammals have a few origins for their name. One is due to the musky odor they use to mark their territory and their place in the scientific order of Rodentia. The nomenclature could also have resulted from the Indigenous name muscascus, meaning red or musquarsh, documented in 1616 as uttered by colonial governor and soldier John Smith and likely taken from an Algonquin word.

Another muskrat mischaracterization results from the use of the animal’s hide for fur in fashion. Possibly one of the more common pelts worn in the mid to late twentieth century, muskrat fur was called Hudson Seal fur, and fabricated into coats, hats, collars and other garments. Pelts were dyed red, brown or black, the latter to mimic Alaskan fur seal skins. At one time, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police wore muskrat hats.

“Hudson” came from the Hudson Bay Company, founded in 1670 by British Royal Charter and granted “sole trader and commerce” for the area known as the Hudson Bay Drainage Basin, which encompassed much of present-day Canada. Started as general mercantile, the company quickly developed and monopolized the North American fur trade. One can still find vintage muskrat furs for sale online with that label.

Being prolific breeders, muskrats were at one time quite common and easily spotted in wetlands and ponds across the country. Between 1970 and 2012, 132 million muskrats were trapped in 37 US states. In most states, there are no limits to how many of these animals hunters can take, though there are prohibitions on muskrat hunting contests. Massachusetts has an open season from Nov. 1 through Feb. 28.

New concerns have recently emerged as the populations of these den-dwelling denizens have dramatically declined. Researchers point to many possible reasons, including loss of wetlands, pollution, damming of rivers and ponds, water level changes and habitat isolation.   

Whatever the cause of the decrease, we can enthusiastically root for the survival and recovery of the species. It’s an animal that will always be itself, no matter what derogatory name we may affix to it. Muskrats remain nonplussed by all of the special synonyms and seem content to continue to be their loud and proud selves, taking to heart Eleanor Roosevelt’s sentiment: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” 

Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgar town, and author of Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.