# Coypu (*Myocastor coypus*) Coypus are large, furry animals that live near water. They have webbed feet and love to swim! You can often find them munching on plants by rivers and lakes. - **Category:** [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/mammal) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Wetlands - **Also known as:** Nutria ![Coypu](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Myocastor_coypus_-_ragondin.jpg&width=800) Photo: Philippe Amelant, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Myocastor_coypus_-_ragondin.jpg) ## Appearance The Coypu is a large, semi-aquatic rodent with dense brown fur and a long, scaly tail. Its bright orange incisors, high-set eyes, and distinct white muzzle make it easily recognizable and different from a beaver or muskrat. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Mammalia - **Order:** Rodentia - **Family:** Myocastoridae - **Genus:** Myocastor ## Interesting facts - Baby coypus can swim and eat plants just hours after they are born! - Coypus are also called nutria, which means 'otter' in Spanish. - They build floating nests from plants, sometimes big enough for a small person! - They make squeals, grunts, and even chattering noises to talk to each other. ## Special abilities - **Underwater Explorer:** Coypu can swim gracefully underwater because of its webbed hind feet that help it glide through water. - **Chisel Teeth:** Coypu has strong, bright orange incisors that help them gnaw through tough plant stems and roots. - **Water Lookout:** Coypu has high-set eyes, ears, and nostrils that help them see, hear, and breathe while mostly submerged. - **Floating Feeder:** Coypu can nurse its young while swimming because its nipples are located high on its flanks. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 40-60 cm - **Weight:** 5-9 kg - **Lifespan:** 3-6 years - **Speed:** 15 km/h - **Litter Size:** 4-6 - **Gestation:** 127-132 days ## Diet & Feeding Coypus are veggie lovers, munching on roots, stems, and leaves of many different water plants. - **Primary Foods:** Roots, Stems, Leaves, Aquatic grasses, Crop plants, Tree bark - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [American Alligator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-alligator) (*Alligator mississippiensis*) — Alligators hunt coypus in areas where their ranges overlap. - **Eaten by:** [Coyote](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coyote) (*Canis latrans*) — Coyotes may prey on coypu, especially younger or smaller individuals. - **Eats:** [Cattail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cattail) (*Typha latifolia*) — Coypus eat the roots, stems, and leaves of cattail plants. - **Eats:** [Common Reed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-reed) (*Phragmites australis*) — Coypus consume the stems and roots of common reeds, altering wetlands. ## Traits - [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur. - [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Freshwater](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/freshwater): Freshwater habitats include non-saline aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, vital for numerous species. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. ## Collections - [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/mammals) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Always watch from a distance and don't try to touch wild animals like coypus. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Coypu? Compare ears, muzzle, tail, feet and coat markings. Size is hard to judge without something nearby for scale, and young mammals may not have adult coloring yet. Mammal Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Coypu? 40-60 cm ### How much does Coypu weigh? 5-9 kg ### How long does Coypu live? 3-6 years ### How fast can Coypu move? 15 km/h ### What does Coypu eat? Coypus are veggie lovers, munching on roots, stems, and leaves of many different water plants. ### Where is Coypu usually found? Wetlands ### How does Coypu hunt? Foraging ## Where to spot - [Aurora Colony](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/aurora-colony) — Oregon, US · Neighborhood - [Martha Springer Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/martha-springer-botanical-garden) — Oregon, US · Botanical Garden - [Mill–Pine Neighborhood Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mill-pine-neighborhood-historic-district) — Oregon, US · Historic District - [Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/smith-and-bybee-wetlands-natural-area) — Oregon, US · Nature Reserve - [Reed College Parkway](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/reed-college-parkway) — Oregon, US · Park - [Tierpark Wolgast](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/tierpark-wolgast) — Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, DE · Zoo [View all places to see Coypu](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/coypu) ## More Mammals - [Eastern Fox Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-fox-squirrel) (*Sciurus niger*) - [Eastern Cottontail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-cottontail) (*Sylvilagus floridanus*) - [Eastern Chipmunk](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-chipmunk) (*Tamias striatus*) - [California Ground Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/california-ground-squirrel) (*Otospermophilus beecheyi*) --- Source: [Coypu: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coypu)