nutria

Home > ... > Plants and Animals > Animals > Vertebrate Zoology > ...

nutria

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

nutria or coypu , aquatic rodent , Myocastor coypus, of South America, introduced in the S United States for its fur, which is similar to that of beaver but not as thick or durable. The nutria resembles a small beaver with a ratlike tail. It is up to 25 in. (64 cm) long, excluding the 15-in. (38-cm) sparsely haired, round tail; it has large reddish incisor teeth and partially webbed hind feet. The outer fur is long, coarse, and brown; it is the soft, gray undercoat that is valued commercially. Descendants of nutrias escaped from fur farms are now found in much of the United States, especially in swampy regions. They build burrows in banks, with the entrances above water level, and feed on aquatic vegetation, competing with the native muskrat for food. They have seriously damaged marshland ecosystems in southern Louisiana and, to a lesser degree, around the Chesapeake Bay. Nutrias have also established themselves successfully in Europe. They are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Capromyidae.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-nutria" title="Facts and information about nutria">nutria</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"nutria." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"nutria." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 16, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-nutria.html

"nutria." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-nutria.html

Learn more about citation styles

nutria

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

nu·tri·a / ˈn(y)oōtrēə/ • n. a large semiaquatic beaverlike rodent (Myocastor coypus, family Myocastoridae) native to South America. It is kept in captivity for its fur and has become naturalized in many other areas. ∎  the pelt of this animal.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O999-nutria" title="Facts and information about nutria">nutria</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"nutria." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"nutria." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (December 16, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-nutria.html

"nutria." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-nutria.html

Learn more about citation styles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauruses

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article Nutriendo nutrias en Guyana: en lo profundo de la sabana, una apasionada protectora de estos animales los ayuda a reintegrarse a su ambiente natural.(Diane McTurk)
Magazine article from: Américas (Spanish Edition); 3/1/2004
Free Article NOCTURNAL NUTRIA MAKE NASTY NEIGHBORS.(Environment)
Newspaper article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR); 3/23/2007
Free Article Go ahead, eat a nutria, and feel good about it.(Food)
Newspaper article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR); 8/16/2006

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

Nutria Cuisine
Transcript from: NPR All Things Considered; 7/7/1998; ; 700+ words ; ...you like to try some of these nutria tamales? Very good. ELLIOTT...tamales and spaghetti sauce at Nutria Fest 1998. CONYEA: So if...interested in eating all of these nutrias, boy we got it -- they...control. LAUGHTER ELLIOTT: Nutria Fest is one way the state of...
Nutria sweet: Rodent gets image rehab
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 3/20/1995; ; 700+ words ; ...ORLEANS -- The reputation of the lowly nutria, known contemptuously as the swamp rat...fur and food. The potential glories of nutria were described in a recent article headlined...Wildlife and Fisheries has begun pushing nutria hair for use in designer coats, the newspaper...
NUTRIA CONTROL AT BLACKWATER REFUGE:GREG LINSCOMBE
Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 7/16/1998; 700+ words ; ...HEARING ON A PILOT PROGRAM TO CONTROL NUTRIA HELD BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES...July 16, 1998, regarding the control of nutria. While the Department recognizes that...hearing is to discuss the serious problem of nutria damage on the Blackwater National Wildlife...
NUTRIA CONTROL AT BLACKWATER REFUGE:EDWARD C. SOUTIERE
Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 7/16/1998; 700+ words ; ...Program Entitled, Marsh Restoration: Nutria Control in Maryland As Presented by Edward...Wildlife Refuge caused, in part, by the nutria. I welcome this opportunity to remind...Early on, my staff and I recognized that nutria were damaging the marsh with their feeding...
Nutriendo nutrias en Guyana: en lo profundo de la sabana, una apasionada protectora de estos animales los ayuda a reintegrarse a su ambiente natural.(Diane McTurk)
Magazine article from: Américas (Spanish Edition); 3/1/2004; ; 700+ words ; ...la llegada de las nutrias, mientras McTurk...horas en bote. La nutria gigante (Pteronura...papel de madre de las nutrias de ro por casualidad...regal un cachorro de nutria. <<Amo...hidratante y la pequea nutria comenz a recuperarse...hembras. Estas tres nutrias formaron el ...
NUTRIA CONTROL AT BLACKWATER REFUGE:G. MICHAEL HARAMIS
Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 7/16/1998; 700+ words ; ...WILDLIFE AND OCEANS Marsh Restoration: Nutria Control in Maryland July 16, 1998 The...Refuge to investigate the role of exotic nutria (Myocastor coypus) in the loss of emergent...private organizations, to develop a pilot nutria control proposal for Maryland. In reference...
Nutria? Rats! New Orleans trying to get pesky rodent eaten
Newspaper article from: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; 7/31/1998; ; 700+ words ; ...member of the rodent family. He's a nutria: a nearsighted, ratlike South American...could get past his pronounced overbite. Nutria several million of them, officials estimate...year program aimed at downsizing the nutria population and reclaiming denuded wetlands...
NUTRIA CONTROL AT BLACKWATER REFUGE:SARAH J. TAYLOR-ROGERS
Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 7/16/1998; 700+ words ; ...initiatives relating to control of expanding nutria populations within our State. PROBLEM STATEMENT Nutria are an invasive, semi-aquatic South American...into Dorchester County, Maryland in 1943. Nutria are a foreign addition to Maryland's wetland...
NUTRIA INCENTIVE PROGRAM ENDS WITH 168,843 HARVESTED
News Wire article from: US Fed News Service, Including US State News; 5/9/2006; 546 words ; ...Fisheries (LDWF) 2005-06 Coastwide Nutria Control Program concluded on March 31...216 participants harvesting 168,843 nutria. The harvest began on the first day of...damage to Louisiana's wetlands caused by nutria by increasing the annual harvest to 400...
NUTRIA INCENTIVE PROGRAM ENDS WITH 375,683 HARVESTED
News Wire article from: US Fed News Service, Including US State News; 5/15/2007; 522 words ; ...and Fisheries (LDWF) annual Coastwide Nutria Control Program concluded its 2006-07...participants having harvested 375,683 nutria. The harvest began on the first day of...damage to Louisiana's wetlands caused by nutria by increasing the annual harvest to 400...
Click to see an enlarged picture
nutria. (Image by J. Patrick Fischer, CC)

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Popular on Newser: