Why nutria was introduced

California's Invaders: Nutria. California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Nutria: An Invasive Species. Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Wildlife and Heritage Service. Wildlife Information - Nutria Myocastor coypus. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Maryland Sea Grant. See also: Six Species of Concern for more fact sheets. Animal Diversity Web - Myocastor coypus. University of Michigan.

Museum of Zoology. Aquatic Invasions! Oregon Sea Grant. See also: Species Guides for more resources. Factsheet: Nutria. Pennsylvania State University. Pennsylvania Sea Grant. See also: Aquatic Invasive Species: Resources for additional species information.

Introduced Species Summary Project - Nutria. Columbia University. The nutria in this image has a stub-tail, likely caused by frostbite. Neither beavers nor muskrats have a white muzzle or white whiskers.

Photo courtesy of the Skagit Nutria Advisory Committee. Home Conservation Invasives Species Nutria. Myocastor coypus General Description The nutria is a large, light- to typically dark-brown, fur-bearing, aquatic rodent. Current Distribution Nutria were originally introduced to the U. Habitat Preference Nutria are found near permanent water sources, such as rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands.

Impacts Nutria cause various kinds of damage through burrowing, intense herbivory, and carrying pathogens and parasites. References Bounds, D. Aquatic Invasive Species Digest.

Myocastor coypus. In the harvest season, only , nutria were harvested. Aerial wetland damage surveys began in earnest in and were conducted again in , , Survey results clearly show that nutria damage in recent years is concentrated in the Deltaic Plain in southeastern Louisiana.

This indicates high nutria populations that are exceeding the local carrying capacity. In , the U. Congress passed an appropriation to address Brown Marsh Dieback and to provide funds for a number of research studies on nutria. The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act, also known as the Breaux Act, has provided grant funding for coastal restoration and conservation.

After reviewing a number of possible methods to reduce nutria, the report concludes that the incentive payment program is the best option for coast-wide control. A review of the literature on the worldwide distribution, spread of, and efforts to eradicate the coypu Myocastor coypus. Wildlife Society Bulletin , Evans, J. About nutria and their control. US Dep.

Pages B to B in R. Timm, ed. Prevention and control of wildlife damage, Coop. Nebraska, Lincoln. LeBlanc, D. Willner, G. Pages in J. Chapman and G. Feldhamer, eds. Wild mammals of North America: biology, management, and economics. The Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, Maryland.