The ranges of nutria, beavers, and muskrats overlap in many areas, and damage caused by each may be similar in appearance. Therefore, careful examination of signs left at the damage site is necessary to identify the responsible species. On-site observations of animals and their burrows are the best indicators of the presence of nutria. Crawl outs, slides, trails, and the exposed entrances to burrows often have tracks that can be used to identify the species. The hind foot, which is about 5 inches (13 cm) long, has four webbed toes and a free outer toe. A drag mark left by the tail may be evident between the footprints. Droppings may be found floating in the water, along trails, or at feeding sites. These are dark green to almost black, cylindrical, and approximately 2 inches (5 cm) long and 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) in diameter. Additionally, each dropping usually has deep, parallel grooves along its entire length. Trees girdled by nutria often have no tooth marks, and bark may be peeled from the trunk. The crowns of seedling trees are usually clipped (similar to rabbit [Sylvilagus spp.] damage) and discarded along with other woody portions of the plant. In rice fields, damage caused by nutria, muskrats, and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) can be confused. Nutria and muskrats damage rice plants by clipping stems at the water line in flooded fields; Norway rats reportedly clip stems above the surface of the water. Resources: (online) Nutria Norway Rat

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