Nutria, also known as coypu or swamp rats, are large rodents that wreak havoc on their non-native ecosystems. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

From left: Walter Heathcock retrieves our first nutria of the day, near Buras, Louisiana; swamp rats feed ­heavily on the root systems of marsh grass, as seen to the right of the boat. Cedric Angeles ...

Nutria — which resemble a cross between a beaver and an over-sized rat — can grow to be two feet long, with an additional 1 ½-feet of tail, and weigh up to 20 pounds. They have brown fur ...

But one aspect is consistent: the “puppy” is not actually a puppy. It’s a giant, monstrous rat. Nutria need a habitat that’s water-rich, so they are most populous in the eastern half of ...

As Louisiana's statewide election slated for Saturday hit the campaign home stretch, one state senator used the likeness of an unlikely hero for the trail: a nutria rat. Earlier this year ...

"Once you find one swamp rat, you know there are a lot of others nearby." Since 2020, Fish and Wildlife's full-scale operations have caused a downward trend of nutria, but it said the historic wet ...

It’s like a soft, warm, calm dog, except for the scary orange teeth, webbed back feet and that nasty, nasty rat tail. Neuty is Denny and Myra Lacoste's beloved, 22-pound pet nutria. UPDATE ...

In Texas, nutria are on a “most unwanted” list. In Oregon, there’s a year-round open season on them. California is hoping the invasive species will start to rat on itself. “Rodents of ...

Nutria can specifically be found along the Gulf Coast, in the Pacific Northwest and in the Southeastern United States. Its exact population, though, is unknown. The rat-like behemoth is larger ...

The perfect project to combat that image is taking on the nutria, an invasive swamp rat that threatens to damage levees and eat through Central Valley wetlands. Aug. 7, 2019 Originally bred for a ...