nutria

8 Stories

Fish and Wildlife: This Rodent Is 'Invasive and Delicious'

Eating nutrias can help save wetlands, official say

(Newser) - It resembles a small beaver or very large rat, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service would like to see more of them go into gumbo. Nutrias, semi-aquatic rodents native to South America, are an invasive species found in around 18 states, including California, where they have reappeared after they...

They've Raised 'Neuty' From Infancy. The State Wants Him
State Relents on Taking
'Neuty' From Couple
updated
Mar 18, 2023 4:50 PM CDT

State Relents on Taking 'Neuty' From Couple

Louisiana family's nutria is invasive species that needs to be kept at zoo, wildlife officials had said

(Newser) - After a public outcry, Louisiana officials have decided a couple can keep their pet. Denny and Myra Lacoste had afoul of state law by having a 22-pound nutria—a beady-eyed, orange-toothed, rat-tailed rodent commonly considered a wetlands-damaging pest—as a pet that frolics with their dog, snuggles in their arms,...

State Thought It Killed Last Nutria in 1978. It Was Wrong

California fears flooding brought on by outbreak of giant rodents

(Newser) - California is under attack from a giant, big-eating, fast-breeding, road-destroying rodent believed to have been eradicated from the state 40 years ago, KCRA reports. According to the Sacramento Bee , state biologists have found nearly two-dozen nutria in Stanislaus, Merced, and Fresno counties since March. The rodents were introduced to California...

Eat an Orange-Toothed River Rat? They Are in Moscow

Nutria has made its way to the plate

(Newser) - There's an emerging culinary trend in Moscow, but it's not for the faint of heart: meaty dishes such as burgers and dumplings made with rodent meat. Nutria, commonly referred to as "river rats"—which the Moscow Times reports are originally from South America but have been...

Louisiana Is Shrinking, Thanks to Giant Swamp Rats

Beaver-like creatures behind vast erosion

(Newser) - When it comes to invasive species, Louisiana may have Florida and its giant snails beat: The state's beloved swampland is literally vanishing at the hands of gigantic swamp rats . Nutria—described by a documentarian tracking the creatures as "a cross between a beaver and a New York sewer...

Thanks, Isaac: Mississippi Gets 16K Dead 'Swamp Rats'

Storm leaves behind dead nutria on the beaches

(Newser) - Isaac may not have been the storm of the century, but beach cleanup workers in Mississippi have a nasty task all the same: About 16,000 dead and bloated nutria—a rat-like rodent with the nickname "swamp rat"—have washed up in the aftermath, reports the local Sun ...

This Rat Could Provide Your Next Fur Coat

 This Rat Could Provide 
 Your Next Fur Coat 
eco-friendly fur?
Apr 27, 2010 11:32 AM CDT

This Rat Could Provide Your Next Fur Coat

Somehow, we doubt PETA is convinced

(Newser) - Good news, eco-conscious fashionistas: You may soon be able to don real fur responsibly. The downside? It comes from a rat. The nutria, to be exact, a semi-aquatic South American rat that grows to more than 2 feet long and can reach 20 pounds. Thanks to the fact that the...

Asian Carp: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Eat 'Em

Louisiana chefs and gov't hatch plan to market invasive fish

(Newser) - If the idea of biting into Asian carp, the invasive species wreaking havoc from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi Delta, sounds unappetizing, one Louisiana chef would like to sell you on delicious “silverfin.” For those not in the know, that’s Asian carp. The rebranding is part...

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