Nutria | National Invasive Species Information Center

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Nutria - Photo by Justin Secrist

Scientific Name:

Myocastor coypus Molina (ITIS)

Common Name:

Nutria, coypu, coypu rat, nutria rat, swamp beaver

Native To:

South America (Jojola et al. 2005)

Date of U.S. Introduction:

First established populations introduced in the 1930s (Jojola et al. 2005)

Means of Introduction:

Introduced for fur production (Jojola et al. 2005)

Impact:

Damages vegetation and destroys habitat in wetlands (Jojola et al. 2005)

Current U.S. Distribution:

Gulf of Mexico coast, Atlantic coast, Pacific Northwest

Spotlights

Factsheet - Nutria, An Invasive Rodent (Apr 2020) (PDF | 1.48 MB)

USDA. APHIS. Wildlife Services.

The nutria (Myocastor coypus), a large, semi-aquatic rodent native to South America, was originally brought to the United States in 1889 for its fur. When the nutria fur market collapsed in the 1940s, thousands of nutria escaped or were released into the wild by ranchers who could no longer afford to feed and house them. While nutria devour weeds and overabundant vegetation, they also destroy native aquatic vegetation, crops, and wetland areas. Recognized in the United States as an invasive wildlife species, nutria have been found in at least 20 States and most recently in California. The nutria’s relatively high reproductive rate, combined with a lack of population controls, helped the species to spread.

USDA and Partners Work to Eliminate Invasive Nutria From Maryland's Eastern Shore (Jul 2, 2018)

USDA. Blog.

Maryland’s eastern shore has seen thousands of acres of protective marshland impacted by the nutria's destructive feeding habits. To protect the valuable resources of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, The Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project (CBNEP) began in 2002 to permanently remove invasive nutria from the marshes of the Delmarva Peninsula and to protect, enhance, and restore the aquatic and river ecosystems they damaged.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Nutria

University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Point Map - Nutria

DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Images

Google Images - Nutria

Google.

Videos

YouTube - Following the Invasive Nutria in the Northwest

Google. YouTube; DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.

YouTube - Nutria Hunted to Save Wetlands

Discovery Networks.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Nutria.

Council or Task Force

Priority Species: Nutria

Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.

Species of Concern Fact Sheet: Nutria

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.

Partnership

Global Invasive Species Database - Myocastor coypus (mammal)

IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.

Invasive Species Compendium - Myocastor coypus

CAB International.

Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage: Nutria (PDF | 617 KB)

Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management.

Citations

Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Myocastor coypus. [Accessed Sep 10, 2014].
Jojola, S., G. Witmer, and D. Nolte. 2005. Nutria: an invasive rodent pest or valued resource? In: D.L. Nolte and K.A. Fagerstone (Eds.), Proceedings of the 11th Wildlife Damage Management Conference (Paper 110). Fort Collins, Colo.: National Wildlife Research Center.