They usually eat the base of plant stems and also dig the soil looking for rhizomes and roots. Nutrias breed quickly and consume large amounts of vegetation that goes up to 25% of its body weight while feeding during all year-round. They nurse for only up to eight weeks, leaving their mothers after that. The nutria’s offspring are precocial in the sense that they are born with fur and open eyes, often eating vegetation with their parents just hours after being born. They can become pregnant again right after giving birth. But sometimes they have a prolonged adolescence before becoming sexually mature that lasts up to nine months.įemale nutrias gestate for about 130 days and are able to give birth to up to 13 offspring. The male nutria is sexually mature at four months and the female at three months. The percentage of living nutrias that lives past three years is below 15%. But in the wild, most nutrias live past three years, with more than 80% dying in the first year or existence. When living in captivity, nutrias can live up to six years. They have a white patch of fur on the muzzle, very webbed hind feet, and prominent orange incisors. There are three very distinguishing characteristics in the nutria. Their bodies are covered with a dark brown coarse fur on the outer layer, but they also have a soft, dense gray layer of fur on the inner layer. Adult nutrias normally weight between 8 to 20 pounds and have a size in the 16-24 inch range for body length. Its prominent orange teeth are usually well visible. The nutria’s appearance somewhat resembles a mixture of being a large rat and simultaneously a beaver, but with a very small tail. These two taxa (Myocastor and Callistomys) have common evolutionary affinities with different Mycastorini genera, such as the Proechimys the Hoplomys and the Trichomes. The Callistomys genus embodies the painted tree-rats. Nutrias belong to the “Myocastor” genus, which is the sister group of the genus “Callistomys”. Myocastor Santacruzan – Inhabits Patagonia. Myocastor Melanops – Specific to the Chiloé Island. Myocastor Coypus – Usually found at the center of Chile and most of Bolivia. This is the most disseminated type of nutria throughout the other countries. Myocastor Bonariensis – Common in South American countries such as Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil(mostly in the South). There are four subspecies normally recognized for the nutria: 10 years later, in 1792, Robert Kerr assigned the Nutria the “Myocastor” genus. This first description was done by Juan Ignacio Molina in 1782. The nutria was formally described for the first time as “Mus coypus”, which is in the same genus as the common mouse. In Europe and Latin American countries, this ambiguity in names is solved by using the word “Coypu” to refer to the Nutria. But in Spanish speaking countries, the word Nutria usually refers to otters. The word “Nutria”, derives from the Spanish language, and is mostly used in North America and Asia. There are two common names used in English to refer to the Nurtia. So Myocastor literally refers to a “beaver rat”. The Nutria genus classification name is Myocastor, which derives from the Greek words for rat or mouse and for beaver. They feed on the stems of plants that grow along the rivers. Its habitat is usually composed of stretches of water, such as rivers, where they dig burrows to live in. Despite its fur still having value today in some countries, the tendency of the Nutria to feed off agricultural cultures in a destructive way, as well as it’s burrowing habits, make the Nutria a species considered invasive and unwanted. It was due to Nutria fur ranchers that this species was introduced to North American countries. The Nutria originated from the most temperate and subtropical areas of South America. In Spanish-speaking countries, the otter is also called Nutria. It’s a large rodent that is native to South American countries. Nutria is the North American name given to the Coypu (Myocastor coypus). A non native species of Seabrook Texas, nutria continually expand their territory and compete with native animals for food and habitat. From trapping to shooting, we have several ways of getting rid of nutria rats from property where damages are being caused. Professional Nutria Trapping and EliminationĪre you looking for professional nutria removal services in Seabrook, TX? We offer solutions for any situation.
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