In an effort to curb growing populations of invasive species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers a practical solution: Eat them.
Nutria a large semiaquatic rodent whose population is increasing and disrupting marshland ecosystems, is the preferred menu item. Weighing 15 to 20 pounds each, they live along the Gulf Coast, in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeastern U.S.
The animal’s feeding habits can cause widespread erosion in wetland areas — like “something out of a disaster movie,” the Fish and Wildlife Service said on social media.
Source: The New York Times, March 1, 2025. Link. A group of nutrias, called a colony, can disrupt ecosystems and farming operations by burrowing extensively and uprooting flora. The animal’s feeding habits can cause widespread erosion in wetland areas — like “something out of a disaster movie,” the Fish and Wildlife Service said on social media.
Photo credit, Wolfram Steinberg/Getty Images
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