Today I had the pleasure of seeing in real live nature something that I had only witnessed on Discovery Channel - A Myocastor coypus (or nutria). From the window of the dilapidated building containing my day job, I watched a mother and 5 babies as they munched and frolicked in the slimy retention pond next to the road. Normally we only get to watch the turtles sunbathing, so this this was actually a bit of a treat.
From Wiki:
The coypu, or nutria (Myocastor coypus), is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent and the only member of the family Myocastoridae. Originally native to temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily by fur ranchers.[2] Although it is still valued for its fur in some regions, its destructive feeding and burrowing behaviors make this invasive species a pest throughout most of its range.
There are two commonly-used names in the English language for Myocastor coypus. The name nutria (or local derivatives such as "nutria- or nutra- rat") is generally used in North America and Asia; however, in Spanish-speaking countries, the word nutria refers to the otter. To avoid this ambiguity, the name coypu (derived from the Mapudungun word kóypu)[3] is used in Latin America and Europe.[4] In France, the coypu is known as a ragondin. In Dutch it is known as beverrat (beaver rat). In Italy, instead, the popular name is, like in North America and Asia, nutria, but it is also called castorino (little beaver), by which its fur is known.
Coypus live in burrows alongside stretches of water. They feed on river plants, and waste close to 90% of the plant material while feeding on the stems. [5]
Thank you for visiting,Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography
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