nutria

noun nu·tria \ ˈnü-trē-ə , ˈnyü- \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Definition of nutria

1 : the durable usually light brown fur of a nutria

2 : a large South American semiaquatic rodent (Myocastor coypus) with webbed hind feet and a round nearly hairless tail that has been introduced into parts of Europe, Asia, and North America

See nutria defined for kids

Recent Examples of nutria from the Web

Your California cousins may soon be hitting you up for nutria recipes.

— tristan baurick, NOLA.com, "As nutria invade the West Coast, Californians wonder 'should we eat them?': report," 30 Mar. 2018
The destructive invasive swamp rodents known as nutria are officially on the doorstep of one of the state's most critically important waterways.

— ryan sabalow, sacbee, "Destructive swamp rodents are knocking on the Delta's door. Is it time to panic? | The Sacramento Bee," 17 Apr. 2018
Biologists are asking those who spot signs of nutria to report it online to the CDFW’s invasive species program, by e-mail to invasives@wildlife.ca.gov, or by phone at (866) 440-9530.

— ryan sabalow, sacbee, "Why California is freaking out over this invasive giant swamp rodent," 9 Feb. 2018
For advice on that, Californians have naturally turned to Louisiana, where there was a big push about 15 years ago to market nutria as fancy cuisine.

— tristan baurick, NOLA.com, "As nutria invade the West Coast, Californians wonder 'should we eat them?': report," 30 Mar. 2018
That sometimes includes animals inadvertently caught when the agency targets nutria, Fahy said.

— ryan sabalow, sacbee, "Invasive swamp rodent has California scrambling to come up with a battle plan | The Sacramento Bee," 22 Feb. 2018
Earlier Friday, another Louisiana nutria, Pierre C. Shadeaux did not see his shadow.

— maria clark, NOLA.com, "Punxsutawney Phil predicts a longer winter. Does T-Boy the nutria agree?," 2 Feb. 2018
Officials fear the ill-famed nutria — which resembles a large rat but prefers wetter, rural environments — could bring havoc to farmland, canals, roadbeds and natural wetlands.

— kurtis alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, "Nutria crackdown: California looks to eradicate ruinous rodent before it tears up state," 9 Feb. 2018
Wildlife BuzzFeed Says: Alligators, nutrias, wild hogs, snakes, raccoons, bats, and anything else that roams the backwoods.

— travis m. andrews, Southern Living, "22 Reasons BuzzFeed Should Spend More Time in the South," 21 Aug. 2014

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nutria.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.