Mammals

One of the few known nonindigenous mammals (Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia) is the nutria, Myocastor coypus (pic 102k). It is found in and around fresh and salt water ponds and swamps. Nutrias were initially introduced into North America and farmed for their fur. Since their introduction, some animals have escaped these farms and established localized breeding populations from Texas to Virginia and in the Great Lakes area. Presently, they are considered to be a pest species in some areas, disrupting irrigation systems and destroying native aquatic vegetation and crops. Additionally, by disturbing the balance of the native biota they provide an advantage for non-native plant species to become established.

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Data Queries and Species Lists

Data Queries Species List of Nonindigenous Mammals (links to factsheets and collection information)

Links to News and Other Information

Nutria (in Italian)
Damage prevention and control methods for nutria (North Carolina State University) *
Nonindigenous aquatic mammals in Florida
Nonindigenous terrestrial mammals in Florida
The effect of nutria on marsh loss in the lower eastern shore of Maryland
South American nutria destroy marsh habitat *

*These document are in PDF format. Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software is required to view them.