Coypu
Myocastor coypus
Their prominent front teeth are bright orange because they contain iron, which reinforces the enamel to help them chew through tough, fibrous wetland plants.
- Scientific name
- Myocastor coypus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Rodentia › Echimyidae › Myocastor
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Freshwater marshes, swamps, slow-moving rivers, lake shores, and brackish wetlands.
- Diet
- Herbivorous, feeding primarily on aquatic plants, roots, rhizomes, and occasionally agricultural crops.
- Range
- South America, North America, Europe, Asia
- Size
- Body length of 40-60 cm, tail length of 30-45 cm, weighing between 5-9 kg.
- Lifespan
- 3-6 years in the wild
- Active
- crepuscular
- Threats
- Severe winter freezes, control and eradication programs in regions where they are invasive, and habitat loss in their native South American range.
- Safe to approach?
- Generally defensive and non-aggressive, but will bite with powerful incisors if cornered or handled. Maintain a safe distance of at least 10 feet. If bitten, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek immediate medical attention, as they can carry zoonotic diseases like leptospirosis.
The coypu (from Spanish coipú , from Mapudungun koypu ; Myocastor coypus ), also known as the nutria , is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent. It has been classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae. However, studies based on the comparison of DNA and protein sequences showed that Myocastor is nested within Echimyidae, the family of the spiny rats. Originally native to subtropical and temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North...
Photo: euqirneto, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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