Finally Identified My Mysterious Pond Monster

@srhelmer (7029)
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
September 28, 2016 12:51pm CST
I've seen it surface a few times over the past month or so but it never stayed above water long enough for me to get a good look at it so I wasn't sure if it was a large snapping turtle or something else. Today, it finally cooperated with me and, even though I did have to shoot from the hip camera wise (hence the somewhat poor quality), I was able to get a close enough shot of him to figure out it is, in fact, a muskrat. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to get a better photo down the road.
6 people like this
7 responses
@teenspirit (1597)
• Israel
29 Sep 16
wow thats strange...!
2 people like this
@srhelmer (7029)
• Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
29 Sep 16
I kind of suspected it was a muskrat the last time I saw it because I was sure I saw fur when it dived under water. Otters and beavers wouldn't like this kind of pond because there's no fish but muskrats like the vegetation.
1 person likes this
• Israel
29 Sep 16
@srhelmer maybe
2 people like this
@akalinus (43209)
• United States
28 Sep 16
When I looked at the photo, I thought it was a beaver. I wonder what the difference is, appearance wise.
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@srhelmer (7029)
• Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
28 Sep 16
You can't see it in the photo but it has a long-skinny tail. That's why I originally thought it was a large snapping turtle. Beavers, of course, have flat tails.
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@akalinus (43209)
• United States
28 Sep 16
@srhelmer I looked again and can see just the tip slightly above water. Remember that song about Muskrat Sally and Muskrat Sam? The Captain and Tenille sang it. Is there a Mrs. Muskrat in the plot somewhere?
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@jannpa (499)
• United States
28 Sep 16
He's such a cute little guy!
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@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
29 Sep 16
Nice catch with your camera. the tail tells the story.
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@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Sep 16
That water looks so mucky.
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@srhelmer (7029)
• Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
29 Sep 16
There's a lot of algae on it, which is why I suspected it might be a muskrat. They like that green stuff.
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@rina110383 (24492)
29 Sep 16
At first glance, it looks like a beaver.
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@srhelmer (7029)
• Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
29 Sep 16
We have those around here too. But, much like otters (which it also resembles), they wouldn't like this pond. No fish.
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@Tridib14 (177)
28 Sep 16
I was expecting more like a Loch Ness or something of its size.
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