A Nutria feeding in Alton Baker Park. "The coypu (from Spanish coipú, from Mapudungun kóypu) (Myocastor coypus), also known as the river rat or nutria, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent ..." (Wikipedia)

Native To: South America
Date of U.S. Introduction: First established populations introduced in the 1930s
Means of Introduction: Introduced for fur production
Impact: Damages vegetation and destroys habitat in wetlands
- (USDA, National Invasive Species Information Center)