Nutria

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photographmemories

photographmemories

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I took this photo of a nutria last week at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.
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Chad
 
they're strict vegetarians, but i suppose they'd bite if cornered... they're invasive, and most times state wildlife authorities will trap and euthanize them. they used to be all over the place at Juanita Bay Park, but after a few reports of sightings, all of a sudden they weren't around anymore... the problem with them is, they eat their body weight in plants every few days, and a den of them can really mess up a wetland shoreline. they eat the roots as well as the stems, so the plant growth dies and destroys habitat for other animals, and their digging destabilizes the shore as well. they breed quickly, and can really make a mess of things if left unchecked...
 


Nutrias were initially imported to the US as a meat source to be raised on farms. There was no market for the meat and they escaped or were released as the farms folded. Now they are a pest. There is a bounty on nutria in Louisiana as their burrows weaken the levees.
 
I grew up in southwest Louisiana where nutria were introduced in the 1930s. We called them the (un)official state rodent. At this time they're wreaking havoc on the state's ecosystem and the southern marshes are crawling with them.
Yet another wonderful story of a species introduced to turn a profit.... :confused:
 
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