Mammals - invasive

Nutria (Myocastor coypus) on Jul 1, 2012

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

The nutria was swimming upstream on Fanno Creek behind our house. The tail was ratlike, so it's almost definitely a nutria.

Commentary

Thank you for submitting the report. Unfortunately nutria are common throughout the Portland metro area, including Fanno Creek. It is important to realize that nutria are potential reservoirs for a variety of diseases that can be transmitted to other species, including humans in some cases. Nutria can also become aggressive on occasion, so please encourage people not to feed the nutria if you ever observe that activity.

The nutria page on the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs website at http://www.clr.pdx.edu/projects/ans/nutria.php contains more information on nutria impacts if you are interested. My contact information can also be found on this site if you have questions or would like further information.

Thanks again for your efforts!

Trevor Sheffels
Center for Lakes and Reservoirs
Portland State University

Trevor Sheffels
July 2, 2012, 2:54 a.m.