The species
The coypu (from Spanish coipú, from Mapudungun koypu; Myocastor coypus), also known as the nutria, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent. It has been classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae. However, studies based on the comparison of DNA and protein sequences showed that Myocastor is nested within Echimyidae, the family of the spiny rats. Originally native to subtropical and temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North...
