Bronx River Diary Expedition 2:
Was that a Swimming Shoe?

July 25
9:00 p.m.

Tonight I saw what looked like a shoe swimming across the river, so I checked to see that both of mine were still on my feet. They were. With that possibility safely eliminated, the mysterious object could only be a muskrat.

“A swimming shoe?” I can hear the muskrat say. “Thanks a lot, Ms. I-Supposedly-Know-The-Bronx-River-But-Really-I-Just-Sit-In-An-Office- All-Day.” Sorry, little guy! The Zoo does not have a muskrat exhibit, so I am working at a disadvantage here.

Muskrat in the Bronx River ©WCS/J.Maher

Let’s see what I can recall about our wet friends: They’re aquatic rodents that like to live near rivers and swamps. They sort of resemble gigantic hamsters with tails and bristly fur. They live either in lodges constructed out of mud and plant materials or in burrows dug out of earthen banks. But where does the name “muskrat” come from? What do they eat? And do they enjoy running on little metal wheels, like their pet store cousins?

Unfortunately, I’ve exhausted my store of muskrat knowledge so I must look elsewhere for information. Bronx Zoo library to the rescue!


Next day (when the library opens)
9:00 a.m.

Flip, flip, flip…(That’s the sound of me turning book pages.) Awww…they’re cute! Let’s see…Muskrats get their name from a musky odor they emit during mating season. (One author describes the odor as “pleasant.” I don’t know if he means pleasant for us or for other muskrats.) They are found throughout North America. They’re about two feet long, nose to tail tip. They’re primarily vegetarian, but they will eat other critters like shellfish on occasion….

Hey, this is neat: They can stay submerged for up to 20 minutes. I find that quite impressive, and not just because I was always the first person to bob to the surface during summer camp underwater swimming practice. Apparently, muskrats have a high tolerance for carbon dioxide in their bloodstream. My goodness, if they could photosynthesize, they’d be plants.

And, no, they don’t run on wheels. Those are strictly for hamsters!

My research complete, I conclude that nothing could be better than seeing an animal in the wild. And yes, the Bronx does count as the muskrat’s “wild.” There have been many confirmed sightings of muskrats all up and down the Bronx River, including several spotted during the course of our popping surveys. If you come to the river, preferably at dusk or dawn, you just might spot a muskrat of you own. (But please don’t call it a swimming shoe. They can be a little sensitive about that!)

Fun fish fact of the week:
Alewives and Mass Transit
Those of you familiar with the Boston area may have heard of the Alewife MBTA Station (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority). The name does indeed derive from the alewife fish, the same kind that was re-introduced to the Bronx River. The Alewife Brook Reservation is directly adjacent to one side of the station. The fish can be found in the reservation’s Little River.

 —Marla

Past Diary Entries
Expedition 1: The Launch

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