They have coarse, darkish brown midlayer fur with soft dense grey under fur, also called the nutria. The guard hairs on the outer coat are three inches long. It is possible for nutria to weigh up to 16 to 17 kg (35 to 37 lb), although adults usually average 4.5 to 7 kg (10 to 15 lb). The nutria somewhat resembles a very large rat, or a beaver with a small, long and skinny hairless tail. Īppearance Large orange teeth are clearly visible on this nutria The cladogram has been reconstructed from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA characters. Genus-level cladogram of the Myocastorini. In turn, these two taxa share evolutionary affinities with other Myocastorini genera: Proechimys and Hoplomys (armored rats) on the one hand, and Thrichomys on the other hand. Phylogeny Ĭomparison of DNA and protein sequences showed that the genus Myocastor is the sister group to the genus Callistomys (painted tree-rats). bonariensis, the subspecies present in the northernmost (subtropical) part of the nutria's range, is believed to be the type of nutria most commonly introduced to other continents. bonariensis: northern Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil (RS, SC, PR, and SP) Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, independently of Kerr, named the species Myopotamus coypus, and it is occasionally referred to by this name.įour subspecies are generally recognized: The genus Myocastor was assigned in 1792 by Robert Kerr. The nutria was first described by Juan Ignacio Molina in 1782 as Mus coypus, a member of the mouse genus. In Brazil, the animal is known as ratão-do-banhado 'big swamp rat', nútria, or caxingui (the last from Tupi). In Swedish, the animal is known as sumpbäver 'marsh/swamp beaver'. In Italy, instead, the popular name is, as in North America and Asia, nutria, but it is also called castorino 'little beaver', by which its fur is known in Italy. In German, it is known as Nutria, Biberratte 'beaver rat', or Sumpfbiber 'swamp beaver'. ![]() In Dutch, it is known as beverrat 'beaver rat'. ![]() In France, the nutria is known as a ragondin. To avoid this ambiguity, the name coypu or coipo (derived from Mapudungun) is used in South America, Britain and other parts of Europe. ![]() The name nutria (from the Spanish word nutria 'otter') is generally used in North America, Asia, and throughout countries of the former Soviet Union however, in most Spanish-speaking countries, the word nutria refers primarily to the otter. Two names are commonly used in English for Myocastor coypus. Literally, therefore, the name Myocastor means 'mouse beaver'. The genus name Myocastor derives from the two Ancient Greek words μῦς ( mûs) 'rat, mouse', and κάστωρ ( kástōr) 'beaver'. Nutria also transmit various diseases to humans and animals, mainly through water contamination. Although it is still hunted and trapped for its fur in some regions, its destructive burrowing and feeding habits often bring it into conflict with humans, and it is considered an invasive species. Originally native to subtropical and temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily by fur farmers. The nutria lives in burrows alongside stretches of water and feeds on river plant stems. The nutria ( Myocastor coypus), also known as the coypu, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent.Ĭlassified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, Myocastor is now included within Echimyidae, the family of the spiny rats.
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