Nutria (Myocastor coypus) are large, semi-aquatic rodents from South America. They were brought to the United States in 1889 for fur farming. Now, they are an invasive species in at least 20 U.S. states. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists them as one of the 100 worst invasive species. These rodents are […]
Tag Archives: Nutria Behavior
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It’s important to know how nutrias behave and what they can do. They can have many babies, up to 13 at a time. They eat a lot, up to 25% of their body weight every day. This has hurt coastal marshes and reduced the variety of plants. Nutrias can also be aggressive and spread diseases. […]
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Another cool fact is how big nutria can get. They can weigh up to 37 pounds and be 16-24 inches long, plus a 12-18 inch tail. Their coarse brown fur on the outside and soft gray fur on the inside are very valuable in the fur trade. This makes nutria important in the wildlife economy […]