NutriaMyocastor coypus Molina

Taxonomy

Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: MammaliaOrder: RodentiaSuborder: Hystricomorpha Family: MyocastoridaeGenus: MyocastorSpecies: M. coypus

Background• Native to South America (Argentina)• Introduced to N.A. in 1930’s • Food and Fur• Nutria-Spanish for Otter• Water Sweeper• Coypu• Marsh Beaver• Mouse Beaver• Ragondid (Europe)

• Adults 11-22 pounds• White Mask , Brown Patches, Round tail• Teats are found on sides `• Males sexually mature 4-9 months• Females 3-9 months• Two-almost 3 litters per year(130 days)(1-13)• Eat 25 percent of weight daily

Biology

North American Range Map

Effects

• Eat whole plants• One area• As an example of their proliferation: in 1938,

twenty individual nutria were introduced into Louisiana and within twenty years, the nutria population exceed 20 million animals. By 1962, the nutria had replaced the native muskrat as the leading furbearer in Louisiana.

Blackwater Wildlife Refuge Maryland– Lost 8000 square acres of marsh– 12.5 sq. miles of marsh– 8,300 nutria– 2,000,000 dollars

Control Measures1. Anti Coagulant Poisoning• Works • Directly kills non target species• Indirectly Kills others• Poisoned animals bleed to death

2. Trapping 3. Shooting

Barbecued Nutria(compliments of Jo Reynolds)

Ingredients1 large nutria, cleaned

1 bottle Kraft BBQ sauce1 large onion, chopped

1 lemon, slicedSalt and Pepper Salt and pepper nutria. Stuff nutria body cavity with onion and lemon. Turn

leg under and put in a large oven bag. Pour barbecue sauce plus one barbecue sauce bottle of water over nutria. Bake for one to one and a half hours in a 350 degree oven, or until done.

Take out and eat. Yummy!

Control Measures

Sources

• United States Geologic Survey. Worldwide Distribution, Spread Of, and Efforts to Eradicate the Nutria. 18 Aug. 2008. 18 Sep. 2008 <http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/special/nutria/europe.htm>.

• Stone, Ward. Poisoning of Wildlife with Anti-Coagulants. 19 May 1998. 18 Sep. 2008 <http://www.jwildlifedis.org/cgi/reprint/35/2/187.pdf>.

• Davis, William B., and David B. Schmidly. Nutria.. 18 Sep. 2008 <http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/myoccoyp.htm>.

• Lawler, Adrian. Nutria-Trouble for Waterways. 2006. 18 Sep. 2008 <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/ponds/NutriaUndercut.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/ponds/Lawler_Nutria.html&h=357&w=400&sz=27&hl=en&start=15&usg=__-PcCyNTGavjeAnpysYVhlfPzmkA=&tbnid=wgz0K5dPZB_EdM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnutria%2Bpictures%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den>.