what is a nutria and where does it come from?

Answer 1

A nutria is a large rodent It is similar to a muskrat, but much larger. I have seen them standing up on hind feet, 3 feet tall. They come from South America. They were imported into the US for fur trade and took over some swampy areas. They eat the roots of the swamp plants too, so that they destroy habitat.

Answer 2

Another one of those critters introduced to America without much forethought as to the consequences of that introduction. Nutria are native to parts of South America. Never should have been brought to the USA.

National Invasive Species Information Center
http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/nutria.shtml

THE EFFECT OF NUTRIA (MYOCASTOR COYPUS) ON MARSH LOSS IN THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND: AN EXCLOSURE STUDY
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/nutria.htm

Exotic Aquatics of the Gulf Coast
http://lamer.lsu.edu/topics/exotics/nutria/

Answer 3

Nutria is a rodent, it's also known as Coypu, scientific name is Myocastor coypus. It is a large semiaquatic rodent native to South America but also found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. It's a herbivore. At a glance, nutria can be mistaken to a large rat or muskrat due to similar shape and structure but morphologically can be differentiated from both as it has bright orange-yellow incisor teeth unlike rats, which have brownish yellow incisors and it's rounded tail which is flattened in muskrats.

Answer 4

As an example of the scope of damage that these animals can do, try a web search for Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. This wetland along the Chesapeake Bay has lost a considerable amount of land in recent years because the nutria have invaded. The animals eat the root systems that hold these fragile landmasses together, and therefore increase erosion of these lands. : (