The struggle to survive isn't always a fair fight. Here's what separates nature's winners from it's losers.
Feisty Fighter
Don’t let their chubby appearance fool you. Muskrats are fierce fighters who use their half-inch-long, razor-sharp teeth to slash enemies.
Scuba Lungs
A muskrat can hold its breath for 17 minutes and hide underwater until danger disappears.
Totally Tubular
A mink’s skinny, tube-shaped body helps it wiggle into narrow nooks and crannies to surprise muskrats in their burrows.
Paddle Feet
By churning their paddleshaped hind feet, muskrats can swim 3 miles per hour — twice as fast as any mink can muster.
Brawny Bite
Super-strong jaw muscles let a mink plunge its long, pointy teeth into the skulls of its prey.
Fast and Ferocious
On land, mink are as quick and nimble as ninjas. Once a mink tackles prey, it wraps its body around the victim and bites so quickly it’s hard to follow with the human eye.
and the winner is…
This clash in the cattails could hinge on location. Mink have the advantage on land, but muskrats gain the upper paw in water.
And More...
This Issue's Staff
Les Fortenberry
Karen Hudson
Regina Knauer
Noppadol Paothong
Marci Porter
Mark Raithel
Laura Scheuler
Matt Seek
Tim Smith
David Stonner
Nichole LeClair Terrill
Stephanie Thurber
Cliff White