# Nutria (*Myocastor coypus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/nutria  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The nutria (Myocastor coypus), also called the coypu, is a rodent in the family Echimyidae of the order Rodentia. It is a medium-sized, nocturnal, terrestrial herbivore with an adult body mass of 6.9 kg, and our sources report values from 6.36 to 7.15 kg. Gestation lasts 131.9 days, litters hold from 3 to 6 young with 2.32 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 155.9 days. The nutria is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 6.36 kg – 7.15 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 8.48 years – 12 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Gestation | 127 days – 139 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3 – 6 |
| Age at maturity | 4.99 months – 5.25 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.32 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Rodentia
- family: Echimyidae
- genus: Myocastor
- species: *Myocastor coypus* (Molina, 1782)

Synonyms: *Mus coypus*, *Myocastor coypus sanctaecruzae*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a nutria?

The nutria is a mammal, a rodent of the family Echimyidae in the order Rodentia. It is also called the coypu.

### How heavy is a nutria?

An adult nutria weighs 6.9 kg, with values from 6.36 to 7.15 kg reported by our sources. This places it in the medium size class.

### What does a nutria eat?

The nutria is a herbivore.

### Is the nutria endangered?

No. The nutria is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a nutria live?

The nutria has a lifespan of 8.5 years, with values up to 12 years reported by our sources.

### How many young does a nutria have?

A nutria litter holds from 3 to 6 young, and it has 2.32 litters per year. Gestation lasts 131.9 days.

### Who named the nutria?

The scientific name Myocastor coypus is credited to (Molina, 1782), meaning Molina in 1782.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Nutria (Myocastor coypus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/nutria