![]() In France, the nutria is known as a ragondin. To avoid this ambiguity, the name coypu or coipo (derived from Mapudungun) is used in South America and parts of Europe. The name nutria (from the Spanish word nutria 'otter') is generally used in North America, Asia, and throughout countries of the former Soviet Union however, in most Spanish-speaking countries, the word nutria refers primarily to the otter. Two names are commonly used in English for Myocastor coypus. Literally, therefore, the name Myocastor means 'mouse beaver'. The genus name Myocastor derives from the two Ancient Greek words μῦς ( mûs) 'rat, mouse', and κάστωρ ( kástōr) 'beaver'. Nutria also transmit various diseases to humans and animals, mainly through water contamination. Although it is still hunted and trapped for its fur in some regions, its destructive burrowing and feeding habits often bring it into conflict with humans, and it is considered an invasive species. Originally native to subtropical and temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily by fur farmers. The nutria lives in burrows alongside stretches of water and feeds on river plant stems. ![]() The nutria ( Myocastor coypus), also known as the coypu, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent.Ĭlassified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, Myocastor is now included within Echimyidae, the family of the spiny rats. ![]()
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