Hello and thank you for your report! This is indeed a nutria. Beavers can look similar, but if you get a good look, you can distinguish them by: nutria have a more angular head, white whiskers, and their back humps out of the water a bit. Beavers are much flatter in the water and don't have those white whiskers. They also tend to be more nocturnal or out at dawn/dusk, whereas you often see nutria in daytime. Nutria have been established in Oregon for decades. They can cause stream bank erosion and may compete with other native animals for resources. However because we have so many nutria, they are only removed in extreme cases as other nutria usually move back into the site pretty rapidly. You can read more from the Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife link in the "Resources" section below.

Best,
Lindsey Wise

Lindsey Wise
May 27, 2020, 2:33 a.m.