Louisiana mammals

Coypu in Louisiana

Myocastor coypus

Introduced to Louisiana

Louisiana'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 Louisiana, by the numbers

Common in Louisiana 8th most recorded of 72 mammals logged in Louisiana

1,221 occurrence records
750 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 22, 2026 Last seen in Louisiana

Records from 2000–2026.

1,221 total records count every Louisiana occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,215 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Coypu in Louisiana

Most sightings fall in December to January.

1,215 Louisiana occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Louisiana records (table)
MonthRecords
January223
February115
March124
April132
May75
June68
July35
August30
September31
October83
November127
December172

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Louisiana, with recorded sightings peaking in December–January.

Occurrence map

Where Coypu has been recorded in Louisiana

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Louisiana records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve 14
Joyce Wildlife Management Area 13
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge 9
Manchac Wildlife Management Area 8
State Capitol Park 8
Sherburne Wildlife Management Area/atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge/bayou Des Ourses Area (usacoe) 5
Fontainebleau State Park District I 3
Pearl River Wildlife Management Area 2

Protected places with the most coypu sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Louisiana

CountyRecords
East Baton Rouge County 204
Cameron County 125
St. Charles County 91
Jefferson County 90
Vermilion County 85
Orleans County 80
St. Tammany County 52
Lafayette County 50
St. Mary County 38
Caddo County 37
St. Martin County 32
Iberia County 29
32 other counties 308

The complete county distribution, spread across 44 Louisiana counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Coypu, better known locally as nutria, are invasive semi-aquatic rodents established in Louisiana’s marshes, canals, and ponds. Cameron Prairie and Grand Isle place observers close to their strongest habitat; orange incisors and a round, sparsely haired tail separate them from muskrats and beavers.

Records continue all year, with higher counts in January and March–April. Look across calm water near dawn or dusk for a blunt head swimming low, and keep to public viewing areas because marsh banks can be unstable.

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 Louisiana 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
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"