Ondatra zibethicus

 

Muskrats are courting

Chittering to each other

Swimming in circles

Like water beetles 

Whirligig-like behavior

Though rodents, not bugs.

More tidbits about muskrats that interested me:

• They are the only species in the genus Ondatra
• The species name, zibethicus, means musky
• Muskrats are part of some Native American creation myths, one of which was described in Louise Erdrich's The Night Watchman - the muskrat is the creature that dove to the bottom of the primordial sea to bring up the mud from which the earth is created.
• They build pop-up shelters (vegetation humps in lakes) which they use in winter. They chisel their way through ice to continue feeding instead of planning ahead and hoarding for the winter like beavers do.