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Jersey, or eastern, muskrat is darker in color, almost black, and the most expensive. Eastern muskrat is long-wearing with care, although all muskrat wears well. Northern has longer guard hair and heavy, thick underfur and is often worked skin-on skin. Southern is flatter with little underfur and is usually pale in color. A semi-aquatic mammal, which is very prolific, the muskrat is found wild throughout North America and Europe, the former Soviet Union and China.
Hudson seal, which is no longer made but was popular in the 1920s and 1930s, was actually plucked and sheared muskrat dyed to look like Alaska, or northern, fur seal. The name muskrat comes from glands near the tail that give off an odor, musk. Musk is used in perfumes and cosmetics. Muskrat are found all over the United States, mainly in marsh areas that are unsuitable for agriculture. It is extremely hardy and prolific, which means that it would become a pest if not trapped. At times, in fact, it has become so numerous that it's left the marshes for farmlands where it's caused severe damage.
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Fur Coats & Shawls
Fur Coats & Jackets
