California mammals

Coypu in California

Myocastor coypus

Introduced to California

California's Myocastor coypus records are of an introduced species; it does not occur here as a wild native population.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

CoypusRagondin (Myocastor coypus) (34)Nutria (Myocastor coypus) in a partially frozen river LjubljanicaCoypu (Myocastor coypus)Coypu walking along a sandy shoreline
Photo: Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0CoypusPhoto: Gzen92 · CC BY-SA 4.0Ragondin (Myocastor coypus) (34)Photo: Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0Nutria (Myocastor coypus) in a partially frozen river LjubljanicaPhoto: Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 3.0Coypu (Myocastor coypus)Photo: euqirneto · CC BYCoypu walking along a sandy shoreline

Coypu in California, by the numbers

Rare in California 210th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

15 occurrence records
11 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

15 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 14; the monthly chart covers the 13 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Coypu in California

Most sightings fall in April to May.

13 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February2
March0
April2
May3
June0
July1
August0
September0
October3
November1
December0

Monthly coypu occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in April–May, with a smaller rise in October and February.

Occurrence map

Where Coypu has been recorded in California

14 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

14 California records mapped

Where it's recorded in California

CountyRecords
Merced County 6
Solano County 2
Fresno County 1
Madera County 1
San Diego County 1
Alameda County 1
Los Angeles County 1
Yolo County 1
Other localities 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 8 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Coypu records in California need an origin check because the species is introduced, domestic, or tied to managed herds.

Reports center on localized California records that shouldn’t be read as a continuous native range. They show where people have documented the species, and they don’t rank California’s best habitat.

California records span more than one season. Gaps and clusters in reports can reflect when and where people looked, not true absence or abundance.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Coypus
Full species profile Coypu Myocastor coypus Size 40–60 cm15.7–23.6 in Weight 4–10 kg8.8–22 lb Lifespan Up to 19 yr View the full profile

More mammals in California in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries