Final Project for Submission.docx ENV-101 Nutria: An Invasive Species and the Destructio

Final Project for Submission.docx  ENV-101  Nutria: An Invasive Species and the Destruction of  Coastal Wetlands  Southern New Hampshire University  ENV-101  Environmental Issue:  The environmental issue that I have chosen is the invasive species Myocastor coypus, known commonly as nutria, and the damage they inflict on wetlands in the United States, and the region in which I inhabit “ Florida. Nutria are a large and semi-aquatic rodent with dark fur and bright orange teeth whose origins are traced to multiple regions of South America. They were initially brought to the United States by the bustling fur trade in the 19th century. Nutria are worthy adversaries for most coastal wetland ecosystems because their adaptations give them distinct advantages over the local flora and fauna. One such advantage that poses a serious risk is the nutria™s breeding habits. For example: nutria become sexually mature at around four months of age, their gestation period is also only four months, and they can begin breeding again as soon as two days after giving birth to a litter. This means that a nutria can birth up to three litters of up to thirteen babies each, per year. Therefore, through their vigorous propagation habits, a population can swell to from small to great numbers in a short timeframe.  Nutria have proven to be destructive to all aspects of wetland ecosystems due to their proclivity for burrowing, tunneling, and consuming massive amounts of vegetation. They have been recorded eating 25% of their body weight in pl