Keyword: chisel

Photo

ANI062-00136

A nutria (Myrocastor coypus) shows its chisel-like teeth, which are used for feeding on the roots of marsh plants. The species is found in northern Asia, eastern Africa, Europe, Bolivia, and southern Brazil. This and other nutrias were released from private lands in Louisiana during a 1940 hurricane. The rodents are capable of wetland destruction by denuding patches of marsh which quickly erode.