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Interesting Creatures… The Coypu
Kaieteur News – The Coypu (from the Mapudungun, koypu) or (Myocastor coypus), also known as the river rat and nutria, is a large, herbivorous, semi-aquatic rodent and the only member of the family Myocastoridae.
Originally native to subtropical and temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily by fur ranchers. Although it is still valued for its fur in some regions, its destructive feeding and burrowing behaviours 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 language) is used in Latin America and Europe. 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, as in North America and Asia, “nutria”, but it is also called castorino (“little beaver”), by which its fur is known in Italy.
Coypus live in burrows alongside stretches of water. They feed on river plants, and waste close to 90 per cent of the plant material while feeding on the stems. The coypu somewhat resembles a very large rat, or a beaver with a small tail. Adults are typically 5–9 kg (11–20 lb) in weight, and 40–60 cm (16–24 in) in body length, with a 30–45 cm (12–18 in) tail. They have a coarse, darkish brown outer fur with a soft under-fur. Two distinguishing marks are the presence of a white patch on the muzzle, and webbed hind feet. They can also be identified by their bright orange-yellow incisor teeth (unlike rats, which have brownish yellow incisors). The nipples of female coypu are high on her flanks. This allows their young to feed while the female is in the water.
Coypu can also be mistaken for another widely dispersed semi-aquatic rodent that occupies the same wetland habitats, the muskrat. The muskrat, however, is smaller, more tolerant of cold climates, and has a laterally flattened tail that it uses to assist in swimming, whereas the tail of a coypu is round. It can also be mistaken for a small beaver, as beavers and coypus have very similar anatomies; beavers’ tails are flat and paddle-like, as opposed to the round rat-like tails of coypu.
Nutria can live up to six years in captivity, but it is uncommon for individuals to live past three years old; according to one study, 80 per cent of nutria die within the first year, and less than 15 per cent of a wild population is over three years old. Male nutria reach sexual maturity as early as four months, and females as early as three months; however both can have a prolonged adolescence, up to the age of nine months. Once a female is pregnant gestation lasts 130 days and she may give birth to as few as one offspring or as many as 13. Baby nutria are born fully furred and with open eyes; they can eat vegetation with their parents within hours of birth. A female nutria can become impregnated again the day after she gives birth to her young. If timed properly, a female can become pregnant three times within a year. Newborn nutria nurse for seven to eight weeks, after which they leave their mother. Beside breeding quickly, each nutria consumes large amounts of vegetation. An individual consumes about 25 per cent of its body weight daily, and feeds year-round. Being one of the world’s larger extant rodents, a mature, healthy nutria averages in weight at 5.4 kg (12 lb), but they can reach as much as 10 kg (22 lb). They eat the base of the above-ground stems of plants and often will dig through the organic soil for roots and rhizomes to eat. Their creation of “eat-outs”, areas where a majority of the above- and below-ground biomass has been removed, produces patches in the environment, which in turn disrupts the habitat for other animals and humans dependent on marshes. Nutria are found most commonly in freshwater marshes but also inhabit brackish marshes and rarely salt marshes. (Source: Wikipedia)
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