Coypu
| Coypu | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Myocastor coypus (Molina, 1782) |
The Coypu (Myocastor coypus) or Nutria is a large, crepuscular, semiaquatic rodent native to South America, but now also present in Europe, Asia, and North America, in some regions of which it is considered a pest. It is the only species in the genus Myocastor, and sometimes given its own family: Myocastoridae.
It somewhat resembles a very large rat in appearance. Adults are typically 5 to 9 kg weight, and 40-60 cm in body length, with a 30-45 cm tail. They can also be identified by their bright orange-yellow incisor teeth (unlike rats, which have white incisors).
They were imported to many parts of the world due to their highly desired fur, known in the fur trade as nutria, but have since become pests in many areas, destroying aquatic vegetation, irrigation systems, eroding river banks and displacing native animals.
External link
Mammals of Texas - Nutria
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