nutria

American  

[noo-tree-uh, nyoo-] / ˈnu tri ə, ˈnju- /

noun

• nutrias
  plural

1. the coypu.

2. the fur of the coypu, resembling beaver, used for making coats, hats, suit trimmings, etc.

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nutria British  

/ ˈnjuːtrɪə /

noun

1. another name for the coypu, used esp to refer to its fur

2. a brown colour with a grey tinge

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• nutrias
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nutria

1810–20, < Spanish: otter, variant of lutria < Medieval Latin, for Latin lutra

Explanation

The nutria is a large South American rodent that resembles a beaver with a long, hairless tail. In many parts of the U.S., nutria are considered a destructive invasive species. Though nutria are aquatic, they are definitely not otters; nevertheless, nutria means "otter" in Spanish. In several other languages, the word for nutria means "rat beaver," a good basic description of this rodent's appearance. Nutria were introduced to the U.S. by 19th-century fur traders. By the 1940s, the fur market had collapsed and thousands of nutria were released into the wild. They have no native North American predators and are destructive to many ecosystems, particularly marshes and wetlands.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nutria nutrias

“What do you think of eating nutria, Dad?”

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

The nutria, an invasive rodent plaguing California, may have been deliberately released.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

The nutria, an invasive swamp-dwelling rodent, is wreaking havoc on California ecosystems, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2025

But after the response, the agency provided special conditions allowing the family to keep the nutria as a pet within the law, according to the newspaper.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 18, 2023

If you ask me, those nutria look just like giant rats.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Native to South America, nutrias were originally brought to the U.S. in the early 1900s to breed and reproduce for a fur trade that was never successful.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

Since 2017, the Department of Fish and Wildlife has removed 7,841 nutrias by trapping them or releasing other sterilized nutria back into the wild with tracking devices.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

“Stopping the nutrias is mission: impossible,” Gonzales said.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 31, 2017

Wetlands all along the Gulf Coast have been shredded by oil and gas development, rising sea levels and a decades-long invasion by ravenous, beaverlike rodents known as nutrias.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 31, 2010

The Rodentia include beavers, nutrias, musk-rats or musquash, marmots, hamsters, chinchillas, hares, rabbits, squirrels, &c.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various