Beware the Burmese Pythons and Other Invasive Animal Species
Nutria eyes can see underwater valves in nostrils and mouth close when underwater SAVE OUR WETLANDS Common names nutria coypu Scientific name Myocastor coypus large sharp teeth forelegs for digging out plant roots and burrows Size Body 43-63 cm 17-25 in long Tail 25-41 cm 10-16 in long Habitats Near ponds rivers lakes and wetlands such as marshes and swamps WARNING ARMED WITH TEETH AND DESTRUCTIVE Marshland destroyed by nutria If you spot this invasive animal species report it to your local Department of Fish and Wildlife 4 webbed toes on back feet soft dense underfur with long coarse outer hairs rounded ratlike tail Invasion Route INVASIVE NATIVE Sugarcane crops destroyed by nutria
Invasion of the Veggie Bingers When nutria were first brought to the United States from their native home in South America no one thought they could be harmful It was the 1880s and fur ranchers were planning to raise nutria to make fur coats But after a while fewer people were buying fur coats So ranchers released thousands of nutria into the wild Because nutria breed very quickly it didn't take long for those thousands to become millions millions with HUGE appetites Nutria eat These all look so nutria itious It's hard to choose 25 percent of their body weight in food every day That's like you eating 51 apples every day But hey what could be so bad Nutria are vegetarians after all The trouble is not only do they chomp on plant stems they also love roots and rhizomes underground plant stems Eating these totally destroys the chance of a plant ever growing back or reproducing And nutria aren't picky about their veggies either NUTRIA MENU Farmers Crops Marshland Plants rice sugarcane corn beets alfalfa wheat barley oats peanuts melons vegetables roots stems seedlings young trees leaves cattail rhizomes bulrush rhizomes cordgrass rhizomes Side Orders tree bark rushes grass AND THAT'S NOT ALL THE DAMAGE THEY DO
Meet the Victims Muskrats Nutria are killing the bulrushes and cattails we eat and use to build our homes Sometimes they even take over our lodges Farmers Nutria are ruining my crops Those munching machines eat everything they can sink their teeth into dexxie Shorebirds These invaders swim out to offshore islands where we breed They gobble up plant roots making the islands unstable and easily washed away Fish and Crabs What's worse nutria steal our eggs right out of our nests When marshland disappears we have nowhere to raise our young
easy Environmentalist 1 Nutria diq burrows into the banks of streams Lakes and ditches Environmentalist 2 Marshes have a root mat that holds together the soil underneath Their burrows weaken the bank and when water levels rise the burrows flood and the bank collapses When nutria eat the roots they leave large holes exposing the mud That makes it for tides to flood the marsh and sink it What Can We Do about Nutria Some chefs in Louisiana use nutria in their recipes to help save the local environment The meat tastes like turkey Marsh Dog a company dedicated to saving Louisiana's wetlands produces nutritious dog treats made from wild nutria meat YUM Governments are asking farmers to get rid of standing water in drainage ditches so nutria don't use them as homes or travel routes If you were a scientist or conservation officer WHAT WOULD YOU DO
