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Article: Muskrats and sage pondweed in Valle de Mexicali: opportunistic feeding on a spontaneous resource.(Research Notes)
- Article from:
- Bulletin (Southern California Academy of Sciences)
- Article date:
- April 1, 2004
- Author:
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Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) inhabit irrigation canals and agricultural drains in the Valle de Mexicali, Mexico (adjacent to the Imperial Valley, California) (Mellink 1995). Although local food sources have not been investigated, they are likely to consist mostly of stems, roots and seeds of aquatic plants, as they are elsewhere (Bellrose 1950; Dixon 1922; Hoffmeister 1986; Leopold 1959; Perry 1982). On 13 and 14 June 2002, we made some noteworthy observations in Canal Reforma.
This 15-m wide canal is one of two main canals used for the distribution of irrigation water throughout the Valle de Mexicali. Its banks were lined with reed (Phragmites communis), which ...