Martha Jean Price  age 10 of Peoria, Ill.  for her question:

What is a coypu?

The coypu is a native of South America. He is a member of the rodent clan  He is a water‑loving rodent and well built for a life of paddling and swimming. You will find him in large numbers along the great waterways of South America  You may see Mama Coypu swimming along with her babies on her back. A big fellow may measure two feet long  plus another foot of sturdy round tail. The back feet are webbed for powerful swimming strokes. Sometimes he chooses to live near the seal burrowing in the beaches.

The Spanish named this water rodent with their name for otter. They called him the nutria. We often hear of a nutria fur coat.. It is a warm thick wearing fur and looks a great deal like beaver. Maybe that is why the coypu is also called the mouse beaver.

The coypu’s fur coat got him an introduction to the rest of the world.. Actually  it is two coats in one. The undercoat is dense soft and warm and waterproof. The little fellow can swim without soaking his skin. Coarser long guard hairs grow among the soft under fur. They form an outer coat giving him a shaggy look. In colors the fur is brown to blackish on the animal's back. Underneath he is yellowish or pale brown.

Quantities of coypu pelts are imported from South America. They are sheared or plucked to give a neat„ smooth finish. Then they are sold as nutria fur. Naturally, some traders wondered why they should bother to import nutria from South America. Perhaps the little fellow would thrive in others countries.

So pairs of coypus were taken to live in England and other European countries. They were also brought to North America. Here they were ranched in homes like their native waterways. They thrive happily in parts of Louisana and New Jersey. Their homes are mostly wasteland. Being vegetarians: the furry rodents do no harm.to peoples

In England however  the new immigrants became hungry. They left their ranches and escaped to nearby farmlands  There they devoured the crops and startled people. Some people said .hey were some horrible. new kind of new kind of sewer rat. For a time there was great alarm.

So. if you happen to meet up with this furry toothy rodent. don't think he is a visitor from Mars. He may well be a coypu. If so  just remember he is a stranger and far from his native home. If he is edgy. it may be because he is hungry and desperate for a tummy full of water weeds. Also. he may be frantic for a nice swim. But remember  if he is an escaped coypu  he is miserably seeking for better living conditions. What’s more, he is wearing a coat of lovely nutria though you may not notice this under his shaggy outer coat.