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A muskrat is known as the cousin to the beaver, the muskrat however is smaller and has much skinnier longer tail. The muskrat and the beaver are the only two mammals to build their homes in the water and resides in the water and resides in marshes ponds and streams in Minnesota. The muskrat is a herbivore that grows to about 20 inches long, including its 9-inch tail and as an adult will only weigh 2-5 pounds.
Fun Facts
Their babies are only about 1/2 ounce at birth but grow so quickly that they can live on their own after only one month.
Unlike the beaver, the muskrat does not store food for the winter, they need to eat fresh plants daily, and they will sometimes channel through the mud in the winter to find food.

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1. Muskrats have dense fur with two layers to keep warm and their skin dry.
2. Muskrats build nests that are often burrowed into the bank with an underwater entrance.
3. They have scale like tails that help them to swim through the water.
4. Muskrats create homes with walls that are about 30cm thick to help make their home a warm place for the winter.

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1. We can use the design of the muskrat fur in order to create warmer waterproof coats for the winter.
2. We could bunkers with underwater entrances.
3. We could create paddles with the scale like feeling.
4. We could create thicker denser walls to provide better insulation of homes.

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I want to be able to wear a fur coat in the winter without the concern of getting wet if it rains, I also do not want it to be made from real animal fur. Solution - A fur coat that is both warm and waterproof for winter weather without being made of real animal fur.

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Have a dense interwoven undercoat in order to ensure warmth. This could be knitted for my prototype.

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I then decided to add longer strands of a thicker yarn throughout, which would act as the long second layer of fur.

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I then knew after I had done this I needed to find a way to make the outer part of the coat more oily and smooth in order to make it water proof for this I decided to use a layer of waterproof sealant spray that was safe to use on fabric. I did however not make a whole coat as we did not have that kind of time so I instead knitted a very small sleeve sample. This would also ideally be made with nicer yarn and prettier colors.

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https://www.uwsp.edu/biology/VertebrateCollection/Pages/Vertebrates/Mammals%20of%20Wisconsin/Ondatra%20zibethicus/Ondatra%20ziebethicus%20page.htm

http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Ondatra_zibethicus/