What animal is this?
 

I caught this today while taking photos of the Merrymeeting Lake ice-out. One of the only open areas on the lake right now.

A mink?
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...edium/what.jpg

I'm guessing a beaver. Looks like a weaselly whip tail but I think it's a paddle with a twist!

Beaver

http://storage.wildobs.com/asorum/photos/IMG_1066.jpg

Muskrat. !!

I second . . .
 

Muscrat. The tail in the photo is slightly deceiving, but the pelt is what makes me believe it's the Muscrat. We have a few that are in the cove, as well as Mink and Beaver. Here is a horrible phone pic of the one who hangs around here. ~ Mother Nature's Zealot

I thought muskrat when I saw it.

I had already ruled out beaver. I also watched it swim up close and it didn't have a wide, flat tail. I've seen several beaver in the area, and it was definitely not a beaver.

But in the pictures of muskrats I found online, the ears didn't look quite right either.

He's trying to disguise . . .
 

himself as an otter perhaps to lose the stigma of being called a river rat? :D

Definitely not River Rat...
 

I saw him and his wife yesterday, and he wouldn't be swimming yet...the water is too cold. :laugh:

Looking at a lot of online pictures, I think it was a river otter.

It's official
 

We need more pics. I'm sticking with Muskrat. The tail isn't fat enough for me . . . and how often do you hear that?

Have a blessed day! Ice is . . . well, that's another thread.

muskrat
 

My bet is that it's a muskrat - seen a lot of them in my day. Definitely not an alligator.

Muskrat
 

Doubtful its a beaver, definitely not an otter.
In Minnesota I've had otters try to warn me off a fishing spot and had a couple haul out by our canoes at a campsite...more slender, tighter fur.

A neighbor who has seen it multiple times says it is a muskrat.

Were you able to hear Louis in the background?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vpuFYQwZ5o

What animal is this?
 

Definitely a muskrat, and it is swimming, not ramblin'

As has been stated many times in this thread now, it's definitely a muskrat

What this about being called Riverat?:eek:

We love . . .
 

all wildlife, regardless of their name. :D

We saw one of these guys swim right in front of our dock last night, then under it, then over to the neighbors dock. We thought it was a beaver until it climb up on the neighbor's dock and we saw it's long thin tail. Impressive little swimmer! I guess my labs will have something new to chase other than chipmunks this summer! (No worries, they never catch anything!)