Mammals - invasive

Nutria (Myocastor coypus) on Jun 4, 2008

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

This wetlands area has a lot of aquatic birds and mammals including river otters. However, I spotted a nutria swimming in the pond and confirmed it was a nutria when it crawled out of the water onto one of the islands. It matched a textbook picture: Beaver like head with rat like tail.

Commentary

Thank you for submitting this report. The animal you saw was in fact a nutria; the rat-like tail is one of the distinguishing characteristics of this species. Nutria are now common in wetlands throughout the Portland Metro area, so you may see more nutria in the future.

If you would like more information on nutria, please visit the nutria page on the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs website at http://www.clr.pdx.edu/projects/ans/nutria.php. My contact information can also be found on this page if you have further questions.

Trevor Sheffels
Center for Lakes and Reservoirs
Portland State University

Trevor Sheffels
June 9, 2008, 2:18 a.m.

Resources

There is a lot of good information about nutria in Oregon on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Living With Wildlife site.

Location

Wetlands park off Gemini DR and Nimbus Ave. in Beaverton, OR

Expert Reviewer

Trevor Sheffels

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