Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Louisiana and Texas, and in parts of California, Washington, and Oregon. Inland, there are also some
infested areas in parts of the Midwest.
The problems with this interloper are twofold: first, the muskrat can't compete with the nutria for
food; and, second, the nutria's feeding habits simply destroy a marsh. Where muskrats eat the stems
and leaves of aquatic plants, as well as some tubers and fleshy roots, the nutria totally destroys the root
systems of these plants. Once the vegetation is eliminated, there's nothing to hold the land in place, and
the marsh is washed away.
Louisiana, where coastal wetlands have enormous economic value not only for muskrats, but also
for alligators, shrimp, and waterfowl, is losing 300,000 acres of these priceless wetlands annually to
nutria “eat-outs.” The state is fighting back, however: in addition to promoting the use of nutria fur in
an effort to control these destructive pests, Louisiana is also trying to develop a market for nutria meat.
And in Delaware, the state has recently received a $2-million federal grant to eradicate the nutria, if
possible.
Despite the habitat destruction wrought by humans and nutria, an enormous amount of suitable hab-
itat remains in North America for the versatile muskrat. Considering its enormous reproductive poten-
tial, and the vast acreage of available habitat, it seems likely that this fur-bearing rodent will continue
to be a common sight throughout most of North America.
Red squired; gray squirrel
