# Michiganders/Midwesterners: what are these animals I am seeing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526 "2010-05-06T17:08:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/1 "2010-05-06T17:08:07Z")
I live near the Huron River, which runs through Ann Arbor, and every time I walk over the bridge, I see a couple little animals frolicking around on the grassy bank. I have tried to take pictures with my camera phone, but they didn’t really turn out. I’ve also seen the animals in other places, but all near to my apartment (and, in turn, the river). I’ve never actually seen them _in_ the river, though. They’re grayish brown. They have shortish, flat tails. They stand up on their hind legs to sniff at the air. They’re about the size of a large cat. I’ve only seen them in the daytime. They are NOT raccoons or possums. What am I seeing, people? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/2 "2010-05-06T17:13:49Z")
[North American River Otters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_river_otter)? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/3 "2010-05-06T17:15:37Z")
[beavers?](http://www.jasperadventurecentre.com/images/photogallery/JAC-beavers-bg.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/4 "2010-05-06T17:18:14Z")
I’m thinking otters, too. Beavers are pretty recognizable (and bigger than most cats). ---
**Author:** ![UnPossible1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dc4da7/32.png) [@UnPossible1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnPossible1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/5 "2010-05-06T17:18:46Z")
Woodchuck? > **[Groundhog](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog)** > > Mus monax Linnaeus, 1758 > Arctomys monax (Linnaeus, 1758) > The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. > The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through much of the Eastern United States, across Canada and into Alaska. > It was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/6 "2010-05-06T17:22:47Z")
[Muskrat?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/7 "2010-05-06T17:22:51Z")
[Nutria](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coypu)? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/8 "2010-05-06T17:24:03Z")
Yeah, I was gonna guess [groundhog](http://tech4kids.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/groundhog.jpg) [maybe](http://www.inspiredstartup.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/groundhog_main.jpg). They do have a strong tendency to stand up on their haunches as the OP describes. [Or](http://eliot.needham.k12.ma.us/technology/lessons/animals/images/muskrat1.jpg) [muskrat](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fws.gov/huronwetlands/Photos/Wildlife/images/Common%2520Muskrat_jpg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fws.gov/huronwetlands/Photos/Wildlife/pages/Common%2520Muskrat_jpg.htm&usg=__IAf-yAc_9T8S8oQAiwVZUwKGmEA=&h=371&w=575&sz=31&hl=en&start=5&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=TdeOTkMlM4SyOM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmuskrat%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG%26rlz%3D1G1GGLQ_ENUS338%26tbs%3Disch:1). ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/9 "2010-05-06T17:24:07Z")
The “short, flat tails” sure sounds like a beaver, but they’re usually pretty good sized. You might be seeing a [muskrat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat), if not an otter. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/10 "2010-05-06T17:24:40Z")
I’d guess woodchuck or muskrat. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/11 "2010-05-06T17:39:36Z")
I’m also guessing nutria. Pretty cute, a bit beaverish, a bit groundhog-ish. Some people call them “River Rats” … as in “Go! Huron High School River Rats Go!” I figure if a local high school team is named after them, they may well be local fauna. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/12 "2010-05-06T17:56:29Z")
If they’re “grayish-brown”, I think woodchucks are more likely than otters or muskrats — both of the latter animals are usually much more of a solid brown. ETA: According to the USGS, [nutria have never established themselves in Michigan](http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/special/nutria/namerica.htm). They’re much more common in the Southern U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/13 "2010-05-06T18:10:47Z")
River otters, especially young ones, are noteworthy for being playful animals. That and the habitat involved leads me toward that suspicion. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/14 "2010-05-06T18:53:42Z")
Thanks for all the suggestions! I think they’re woodchucks/ground hogs. I’ll have to carry my real camera around with me and get a better picture than my phone is capable of. Yesterday I saw one get into a tussle with a rabbit in someone’s front yard. It’s like Wild Animal Kingdom Michigan out here. ---
**Author:** ![lynne-42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lynne-42/32/3138_2.png) [@lynne-42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynne-42)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/15 "2010-05-07T03:10:10Z")
No suggestions, other than to say I am dead jealous of your wonderful wildlife! Would love to see those critters! Enjoy! And protect them. ---
**Author:** ![Carptracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@Carptracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carptracker)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/16 "2010-05-07T03:30:00Z")
Pretty sure that these are probably groundhogs/woodchucks. Here is another thread by someone who thought they were looking at beavers and it was a woodchuck. There is a picture in the link, and, despite some discussion by people who really don’t know wildlife, the picture is absolutely a groundhog. Groundhog tails are somewhat broad and flat, but the tails are furry. I’m a fish biologist, not a mammologist, but I gotta tell you I know a groundhog when I see one. Occasionally, I even shoot and eat one. Like a big, somewhat greasier squirrel. But it is possible that the OP could seeing baby beavers. Baby beavers are much more playful than adult beavers and occasionally can be seen goofing around. Their tails are extremely broad and flat, and have no fur. Adult beavers are rarely seen out of the water during daylight. Baby beavers sometimes, but rarely, can be seen more than a couple feet from the water goofing around. If the OP is seeing them often, pretty sure they are groundhogs. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/17 "2010-05-07T03:41:08Z")
Hey, I’m going to be in Ann Arbor next year. Have to keep my eye out for 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Carptracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@Carptracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carptracker)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/18 "2010-05-07T03:44:04Z")
Forgot to put in the link: [Beaver? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=562109) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/19 "2010-05-07T03:46:50Z")
> [@lynne-42](#): > > No suggestions, other than to say I am dead jealous of your wonderful wildlife! Would love to see those critters! Enjoy! And protect them. An Australian with groundhog envy. Jesus. I will gladly trade you every groundhog (woodchuck) on my property (including the one with a burrow under my shed) for just one quoll. Or an echidna. Groundhogs are fat sleazy garden-destroying pests. ---
**Author:** ![lynne-42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lynne-42/32/3138_2.png) [@lynne-42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynne-42)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526/20 "2010-05-07T04:43:55Z")
I see echidna almost daily - they breed on our 18 acres of bush, which we bought just for the wildlife and proximity to Kinglake National Park (now just recovering cinders thanks to the horrific fires last year). I can also offer kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, 70+ species of birds, 4 species of possum in the backyard … but not a quoll in sight. Adore our wildlife! Especially our spiders. I am still dead jealous of groundhogs, squirrels, beavers, muskrats and, especially, otters. And of your incredibly cute little jumping spiders - the Phidippus genus. Even put a Phidippus on the front cover of my most recent book. I went potty over the squirrels last time in the US - couldn’t get enough of them to the horror of some of my hosts - and next time I am determined to see all of the above and roadrunners, bald eagles, burrowing owls (you really have owls that burrow!!!) … this post could get very long you have so much wonderful wildlife! P.S. The echidna (spiny ant-eaters) burrow under our fences and let the rabbits into the garden, turn over rockeries after ants and do some damage. Love 'em anyway! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michiganders-midwesterners-what-are-these-animals-i-am-seeing/538526.md?page=2)