Nutria Family Expert: Guide Sheet
1) List the Kingdom, phylum, Class, Order, and Family names of the nutria.
2) Correctly write the Scientific name (Genus, species) of the nutria.
3) Draw a quick, but detail sketch of the Nutria.
4) What are the Native countries of the nutria?
5) What type of environment is their natural habitat?
6) At what age has the nutria reached full maturity?
7) At what rate does the nutria reproduce? (example: humans-once every nine months).
8) What structure of teeth does the nutria have?
9) What is the main diet of the nutria? What do they eat in Louisiana?
10) How did the nutria come to live in Louisiana?
11) Where do the nutria mainly live in Louisiana?
12) What are the nutria’s natural enemies? Do these enemies exist in Louisiana?
1) When did Louisiana trappers begin trapping nutrias?
2) What types of methods are used to trap nutria?
3) How does the trapper prepare the nutria carcass?
4) How does the trapper prepare the nutria pelts (fur)?
5) How does the trapper prepare the nutria meat?
6) What was the price for nutria pelts in 1950?
7) What was the price for nutria pelts in the late 1970s?
8) What is the price for nutria pelts now?
9) How many nutrias can a trapper trap in one day?
10) How much money can the trapper earn for the above amount (see question 9) with today’s price?
11) What are the things people do with the nutria meat?
12) Are there any useful recipes for nutria? Please list one.
13) What programs are in place to help trappers control the nutria population?
14) What are the monetary incentives given to trappers with these types of programs?
Environmentalist Expert: Guide Sheet
1) What is the natural habitat of the nutrias?
2) Where do they live in Louisiana?
3) What is the nutria’s diet? What do they eat in Louisiana?
4) What type of teeth structure does the nutria have?
5) What is the reproduction rate of the nutria?
6) How does the nutria cause land loss in Louisiana?
7) How much land was loss do to nutrias in the 1950s?
8) How much land was loss do to nutrias in the 1980s?
9) What is the estimated total loss of land do to the nutrias at present day?
10) What are some future predictions about the rate of land loss?
11) How does the land loss affect humans?
12) How does the land loss affect other animals?
13) What are some ways to control the nutria population to prevent land loss?
Animal Rights Activist: Guide Sheet
1) What does it mean to be an Animal Rights Activist?
2) What are nutrias?
3) How did the nutria come to live in Louisiana?
4) For what reason did people bring nutrias to Louisiana?
5) What are some was nutria animals are trapped?
6) How is the nutria fur and meat prepared?
7) How much does a nutria pelt (fur) cost?
8) Is there a big market for nutria fur?
9) What are the natural enemies of the nutria?
10) Does the nutria have any natural enemies in Louisiana?
11) What other countries have a population of nutria?
12) Do other places in the world have nutria control programs? If yes, what are they?
13) What are some ways we can co-exist peacefully with nutrias?
1.When was the nutria first brought to Louisiana?
2. Who was responsible for bringing the nutria to Louisiana?
3. Where is the nutria’s native continent? In which specific country(s) is the nutria naturally found?
4. Go to www.enchantedlearning.org.
5. Calculate the distance traveled by the nutria on its initial journey from its homeland to Louisiana.
6. Does the nutria have a natural predator in its native environment? What is its natural predator in Louisiana?
7. Describe the nutria’s natural habitat. Compare/contrast the nutria’s natural habitat to the habitat found in the Louisiana wetlands.
8. Why was the nutria originally brought to Louisiana?
9. Which natural disaster changed the fate of the nutria in Louisiana? When did it occur?
10. Did the nutria’s arrival in Louisiana have any positive effects in Louisiana? Explain.
11. When were the first signs of the nutria’s negative impact in Louisiana reported? What was the specific nature of this impact?