Coypu, or nutria, are invasive in Mississippi and are tied to marshes, ponds, slow waterways, and vegetated lake margins. Records point to the north Mississippi flood-control lakes as well as wetlands near Holly Springs, Gulf Islands, and Sandhill Crane; look for orange incisors, a round tail, and heavily clipped shoreline vegetation.
Reports are year-round, with higher totals in January, February, and April. Winter-thinned vegetation can make these large rodents easier to notice, but records indicate observer activity as much as local abundance.
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