River Rat\Coypu

Physical Characteristics

• Large rat-like creature often mistaken for a beaver or muskrat
• 11-20 pounds in weight
• Up to 2-3 feet in length
• Large front teeth that are often bright orange/red in color
• Dark brown fur and have rat like tails                           

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Reproduction

• Coypu Reproduce at incredibly high rates
• Coypu have a relatively long gestation period of 127-139 days
• They can become impregnated immediately after birthing pups
• They give birth to litters of 1-13
• Coypu reach sexual maturity at only 6 months of age

South America

Non Indigenous Populations

• North America
• Northern South America
• Europe 
• Asia

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Habitat

• Live in marshlands and near rivers and streams 
• Live near fresh water but can be found in brackish water
• Some live in grasslands and savannahs
• Not at all tolerant of cold climates
• Have since gone extinct in there original ecosystem

Fur Trade

Destruction

• Destroy the soil and cause erosion
• Destroy marshland and river banks
• Destroy irrigation facilities and farms
• Eat man-made structures and erode the land
• Consume 25% of there weight daily and all of it Vegetation

Economic Impact

• In Louisiana over 50 million dollars spent on eradication of Coypu
• Cost farmers millions in lost crop revenues
• Department of Wildlife and Fisheries estimates that 20,300 acres of wetlands are impacted

Control And MAnagement

• Coastwide Nutria Control Program
• Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act
• Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries
• Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003

Bibliography

• http://oklahomainvasivespecies.okstate.edu/nutria.html
• http://www.marshdog.com/MarshDog/About_Nutria.html
• http://www.wetland.org/education_nutria.htmitem here
• http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Myocastor_coypus/