An invasive South American rodent has returned to the Bay Area — and it may be too late to eradicate it
Strolling atop levees at Grizzly Ranch in the Suisun Marsh, south of Fairfield, wildlife biologist Robert Eddings stops in front of a brackish pond. Unlike most of the surrounding wetland, this pond stays flooded all year. Its lush green cattails make it a haven for waterfowl and an irresistible feast for invasive nutria — housecat-sized, semi-aquatic rodents with bright orange teeth. … Indeed, this pond is where the first nutria at Grizzly Ranch were found in 2023. Native to South America, nutria are elusive, burrowing inside of levees during the day and emerging at night to devour marsh plants. … The animals’ destructive eating habits, combined with the fact that their burrows can weaken levees, means that nutria pose a serious threat to this precious remnant of California’s once-extensive wetlands. That’s why wildlife biologists and landowners across the state are on the lookout for nutria, reporting all sightings to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has a unit dedicated to their eradication.
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