Northern Nutria?

 

Nutria may look a bit like beavers with long, thin tails, but they are quite different. This rodent that can weigh 12-20 pounds is one of the world's worst invasive species. Native to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, they began showing up in the American south decades ago. They were once thought to be non-existent in the north, especially in New Jersey, and that was fine with state biologists.

Unfortunately, there have been reports of them in NJ. They were trapped in the salt marshes of the Delaware Bay back in the early 1980s. An NJ Fish and Wildlife biologist reported seeing a nutria swimming in Salem County's Lower Alloways Creek Township in late 2007.

Nutria are primarily nocturnal foragers and they damage vegetation and crops that are used by wildlife and humans. They also destroy the banks of ditches, lakes, and other water bodies. They do their greatest damage to the marshes and wetlands they inhabit eating the plants that hold wetland soil together. That vegetation loss causes native animals and fish to lose their habitats.

Nutria can also be aggressive to pets and humans if they feel trapped.

Recently, a reader of this blog sent me a photo and asked if it was possible that it was a nutria. He lives in Lafayette (Sussex County) and spotted what he at first thought was a beaver, but it had the wrong kind of tail. I have not heard of any nutria sightings in northern New Jersey, so that is not a good report if accurate.

Their coloration can vary from light to dark (as shown in this post) and I have seen nutria online that look black and sometimes even with white patches. They do resemble beaver, fishers and muskrats , especially when seen in the water.

What is it?

NJ wildlife officials are asking people who spot nutrias to report them so they can determine whether they're colonizing in our state. You can report spotting a nutria (or fisher or bobcat) using the form at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/bobcat-fisher-nutria_sighting.pdf

Nutria (Myocastor coypus) was first introduced to the United States in 1899 in California where for about 40 years there were attempts to breed them for their fur. The fur market crashed after WWII and many were simply released. Though they thrive in temperate areas, the milder NJ winters have allowed them to stay and breed. 

Image: Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay

Nutria

The nutria is a large rodent that looks like a beaver but with long, thin tails. They are one of the world's worst invasive species and they possibly exist in New Jersey.

They weigh 12 to 20 pounds. They are primarily nocturnal (active at night), with peak activity occurring near midnight.

Although they are native to Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, they have invaded North America, particularly in the southern U.S. They have been seen and trapped in New Jersey in places like Salem County's Lower Alloways Creek Township.

The problem with them, as with most invasive and non-native species, is that they eat vegetation that causes our native animals and fish to lose their habitats.

This large furbearing rodent (Myocastor coypus) was first introduced to the United States in 1899 in California. Between then and 1940,  ranches were established in many states to breed them. A crash in the market for their fur occurred after WWII and ranchers, unfortunately, released their nutria or did nothing to recapture those that escaped. They once existed in 30 states and still exist in about 18. Nutrias can tolerate winters in temperate areas only, but the milder NJ winters have allowed them to stay and breed and they were trapped in the salt marshes of the Delaware Bay back in the early 1980s.

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife would rather not get any reports of nutria and as far as I can find few valid reports of nutria have occurred recently by trappers via the annual trapper harvest survey.

You can report spotting a nutria (or fisher or bobcat) using the form at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/bobcat-fisher-nutria_sighting.pdf

In New Jersey, a Trapper Education course must be passed and a trapping license obtained to trap in the state - see http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/trapping_info.htm