Something mink sized, swimming with leaves/ grass?

[Andromeda321]

I always love how you see new things on the lake even if you've been around decades! Here was one we saw yesterday and left my family stumped, and I was hoping someone could help with the ID. Basically our place has a ~200ft gap between the mainland and a narrow island peninsula, and I've seen mink swim through the channel or to the island many times (and last year my dad even saw a squirrel do it). Yesterday, however, we went to the dock and saw something swimming in the water that looked like a brown mammal, mink style, but carrying a large tuft of green with him- either leaves, or grass, almost as big as it was. Unfortunately we didn't get a good look of it getting out of the water onto the peninsula.

Anyone know what it might have been? I guess beavers carry stuff, but I've never seen one here, and we don't know about otters enough to know if they do this sort of thing (my dad says he saw one once, but I don't think I have).

Thanks for any ideas!

[WinnisquamZ]

Muskrat


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[tis]

Agree, muskrat. I love watching them carry all their big prizes back to their nest.

[Andromeda321]

Aha! Never would have thought of them, but I think you're right. Pretty sure our island now has a muskrat den. Thanks!

[ApS]

More on what one might see regarding muskrat:

https://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7613

:look:

[Andromeda321]

Ok, it turns out we have something else living here more on the mainland. Smaller than the muskrat, also brown but has a naked rat tail, and is not a rat- I got a good look at it swimming around our dock, and it's bigger than a rat. Looked a lot like a mink except for the naked tail.

Thoughts?