Wildlife Spotting

I think, then, you have a beaver here. A muskrat would be considerably shorter and the silhouette is that of a beaver. The other possibility is that it is a Coypu, or nutria. Coypu were imported to the US for fur farming, but they naturalized into some ecosystems. They are most common in the south, but Ohio has some. The most likely ID, however, would be a beaver.

Matt, Sometimes it helps to describe the animal a bit. Photos, for instance, don't convey size very well. If this animal is small, that is only about foot long, I'd say it was a muskrat, but I don't see its tail in any of these photos. As a result, I don't think it is a muskrat. If it was a large animal, let's say 2 or 3 feet long, I'd say it was a beaver. I took your last photo and enlarged it. The ears, general shape of the head, and the blunt nose makes me think it is a beaver (Castor canadensis). See http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/beaver/ for more information. So, let me ask this question: Was this animal closer to 2.5 feet in length, or a foot in length? Welcome to Project Noah. I'll look forward to seeing other wildlife spottings from your area.