Nutria+(Coypu)+-+2

= = =General Information=

Nutria (Myocastor coypus)


The nutria is a semi-aquatic species. This dog-sized rodent, about 10-20 inches long, has a long body with a triangular-shaped head and a rat-like tail. Noticable features are short legs and webbed toes accompanies by a single free toe (used for grooming). Their fur is soft and dense, consisting of velvet-like underfur. The most common colors for nutria are yellow-brown and red-brown. They can weigh between 15-20 lbs, though males tend to be slightly larger than females (Lerner). =Detailed Description= After birth, it only takes about a few hours for young nutria to begin swimming. Female nutria mature in about six months, and can get pregnant two days after just giving birth. Pregnancy in nutria only 132 days. They can produce two or three litters of anywhere up to ten offspring each year. There were fewer than 150 in the 1960's and now there are over 50,000. They live in pairs, families, or colonies. They sleep in masses of 40 or 50, keeping each other warm at night (Nickens). Although nutria sometimes feast on mollusks, they are a mostly vegetarian species. They can take in 25% of their body weight, daily. They feed mostly on saltmarsh hay, smooth cordgrass, lawn grass, and crops. Their only limiting factor is cold whether because all natural predators are in South Africa, which helps them survive in the new environment.

Habitat and Distribution Nutria are found in the Southern States. Some states include Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, and Virginia. They live in freshwater habitats. They are found mostly by rivers, streams, lakes, or marshes (Lerner).

Impact

Nutria have an impact on the environment because their eating habits are so reckless and detrimental. The Southern states that have been overrun with its population have experienced damaged crops and tunneled property (Young). There have been accounts of nutria turning 12 square miles of marsh into open water, accounts of 40 acres of marsh lost in a few months (Nickens). This causes farmers to lose crops and lose profits. It also decreases the amount of vegetation available to the native species.

History

Nutria were brought to the United States from South Africa to enhance the fur industry. Then, when a hurricane hit Louisiana 55 years ago, water rose and allowed the nutria to swim out of their enclosure. They escaped into different parts of Louisiana and eventually branched out into other states within years (Bourjaily). Control Measures

There are a few methods of control when dealing with the nutria population. Frightening, repellents, and toxins are typical methods. Nutria are a species that can be frightened easily. They will flee quickly at the sight of danger. So, loud noises, water sprays, and other types of harassment are used to scare them away from areas. Some choose to use chemical repellent or toxicants to kill them. Some states, specifically Lousiana, even encourage their citizens to eat them. (Young)

Bourjaily, Phil. "The creature that's eating Louisiana. (the nutria is a large rodent that has begun wrecking havoc with the ecosystems of Louisiana because the animal was originally transplanted there from its native South America by settlers who hoped to hunt them for their once-valuable pelts)(Brief Article)." //Field & Stream (West ed.).// v101. n3 (July 1996): p34(1). //Student// //Resource Center// //- Gold//. Gale. Stroudsburg High School. 13 Nov. 2008 . "Coypu." //Gale Encyclopedia of Science//. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 4th ed. Detroit : Gale Group, 2008. //Student// //Resource Center// //- Gold//. Gale. Stroudsburg High School. 12 Nov. 2008 http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-1&docId=EJ2644040620&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=stro53037&version=1.0.

Nickens, T. Edward. "Exotic Species: Trying to Show the Door to a Marsh Munching Immigrant from South America.(nutria)." //National Wildlife.// 38. 1 (Dec-Jan 1999): 14. //Student// //Resource Center// //- Gold//. Gale. Stroudsburg High School. 13 Nov. 2008 . Young, Gayne C. "Things we've et: nutria: it's what's for dinner.(Brief article)." //Sports Afield.// 229. 6 (Sept 2006): 41(1). //Student// //Resource Center// //- Gold//. Gale. Stroudsburg High School. 12 Nov. 2008 http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=SRC-1&docId=A149157909&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=stro53037&version=1.0.