Myocastor coypus

[PPPhoto]

No, it's nothing obscene.



As I sat in my office at home tonight, I heard what sounded like people talking right outside. So, I got up to investigate and saw someone walking back down my driveway.

I started out to see what was going on, when I noticed one of these rat like animals. Rather it was two of them that I saw.



Knowing what the passersby had been looking at, I headed inside for the camera.

This one, and another of it's siblings, hid under my car while I attempted to take photos. I had to grab a flashlight to be able to focus properly in the dark.

In total, I saw 4 of these babies, and later, 1 adult. I saw the adult after I had gone back out to investigate the yip-yapping of a dog. I knew what the dog was barking at, but the owner mentioned that there was an adult too.

Anyway, this is the invasive species Myocastor coypus, known locally as the nutria. It also goes by the names of coypu, ragondin, beverrat, and castorino, depending on your location in the world.

[brucep]

Excellent capture, Craig... especially under the circumstances. Was your flash on a tall bracket or something? The shadows seem softened by a bounce card or other reflector. Well done.

[PPPhoto]

Thanks Bruce. I was basically laying on my driveway to get this shot. The flash was in the hot shoe, but I think that some of the softening is because of the bumper blocking part of the light. I was afraid that it would block too much and I wouldn't end up with anything worth while.

One of the babies was really feisty. He (she?) kept hissing at me and even tried to nip at my foot a couple of times. Thankfully I had shoes on, or it could have hurt.

I ended up deleting over half of the shots I took because of them being out of focus. I couldn't find a very bright flash light, so some of them were just guesswork. It sure would be nice of them to show up during daylight hours.

[yellalablady]

What a cute little guy. I think it's a great photo for the circumstances. How big are they? This shot doesn't give much of a clue to their size. I've never heard of these critters. Would you call it a muskrat?

[Jan]

A brilliant photo Craig, I love the way it fades into the dark background. Very well done!

[Skippy]

These came out well for you. I believe at one time they were raised for their pelts. Maybe that's why they are so feisty. Afraid you were going to steal his coat.

Skippy

[PPPhoto]

Monnie, the babies are about the size of a guinea pig. The adults are, of course, larger. These critters have a long round tail, which differentiates them from the muskrat. I had never heard of one until I moved to Oregon. To me they have always looked like a beaver, just with a different tail.

Skippy, you are right. They were brought to this country to be farmed for their fur. As I'm sure we are all aware, there isn't much demand for nutria coats. They can be very destructive in some environments.

We get them coming in to our back yard occasionally, but this was the first time I had seen so many of the babies, and at the front of the house. They typically like wetland areas. We have a small animal refuge nearby, and a drainage ditch that almost runs behind us.

[Ron77]

Great shot on this. Man I thought at first you had captured it and put it in a studio setting. Nice job and cool lighting. Cool critter too, I'd keep one as a pet!