nutria

American  

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

noun

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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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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

The study, released Tuesday by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, found that the state’s nutria populations share a close genetic match to nutria from Oregon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

That’s because a colony of nutria, amphibious rodents, live on the Marco Simone grounds and have been known to roam the fairways.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 24, 2023

They appear by surprise in towns and on beaches, cause accidents, and scare the local fishermen, nutria, manatees and capybaras.

From Washington Post • Apr. 20, 2023

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

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings