Nutria in the Northwest

Nutria snacks on grass

Credit: USFWS

The population of non-native, semi-aquatic nutria is growing in the Pacific Northwest. These rodents with their orange teeth and round, rat-like tails, can collapse levees and eat thick vegetation down to bare earth.

Nutria, native to South America, cause ecological damage and are potentially harmful to native wildlife and humans. Under the right conditions, a breeding pair of nutria can lead to 16,000 offspring in three years!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has partnered with Portland State University and the U.S. Geological Survey to learn more about the nutria's habits in urban areas and to spread awareness about the alarmingly fast-growing populations.

While some people think nutria are 'cute,' native and even feed them, they can be aggressive and carry a large number of diseases, pathogens and infections. The rodents over-graze wetland habitats, compete with native species, and can cause erosion by tunneling into stream banks. In the future, climate change could increase nutria populations, whose range is currently limited by cold winter temperatures.

Read more in the March-April issue of Refuge Update,page 23.

Video: Scouting Nutria with National Geographic

Photos of USFWS and Pangolin Film's effort to create awareness surrounding the dangers of the spreading non-native nutria populations in the NW