[mou] Unusual Rodent...? Hennepin Co.

[esteb02@frontiernet.net]

Alyssa,

Most likely you were looking at a woodchuck.  Yes, they do climb in 
trees to some degree.  They are technically in the squirrel family.

Steve Estebo
Zoologist, Minnesota Zoo

Quoting alyssa <tiger150@comcast.net>:

> Went birding again near my neighborhood. I saw a very strange critter 
> in a sapling, about 15-20 feet above ground. It looked like a 
> Woodchuck, but I didn't know they climbed trees. It also had a thin, 
> hairy tail. Not many birds, only a single Fox Sparrow. If anyone 
> knows what animal it could be, please e-mail me. I have never seen 
> anything like this before...Thanks in advance!
>
> Alyssa DeRubeis
> Golden Valley, Hennepin Co.