Coypu

Called "nutria criolla" by locals, the coypu is one of the easiest animals to photograph at close range in all of Iberá. Its robust body is covered with a thick, waterproof reddish-brown coat. Its incisors are an unmistakable bright orange, due to the high iron content in the enamel. Its hind feet have interdigital webbing and its tail is long, cylindrical and hairless. The female has four pairs of teats set high on her flanks, an adaptation that lets her nurse her young with her body in the water. Total length: 75 to 110 cm (body 45-65 cm, tail 30-45 cm). Weight: 4 to 8 kg.

Behaviour

Crepuscular and nocturnal, though in the protected areas of the park it is seen active in broad daylight. A strict herbivore: it eats aquatic plants, water hyacinth roots, reeds and grasses. It uses its forepaws with great dexterity to handle food, washing it before eating. It builds resting platforms from bent reeds among the rushes and short burrows in the levees. It is the favorite prey of yacare caimans and yellow anacondas.

How and when to see it

Present year round at all 10 portals of the park. Sightings practically guaranteed from boats, kayaks and boardwalks. At Portal Laguna Iberá they swim by the dozen around the pier. Also very frequent at Carambola (calm streams), San Nicolás (boarding coves) and Galarza.

Where to see it in the Iberá

The gateways of the Great Iberá Park where coypu has confirmed presence:

Tours to see it

Verified providers operating at the gateways where coypu lives. You contact them directly on WhatsApp from the app.

• Esteros Ñe’é
  Experiencias con relato local y mirada cultural sobre los esteros.★ 5
• Salvaje Iberá
  Senderismo, cicloturismo, safari fotográfico, avistaje de fauna, paseos largos en el día…★ 5
• Gaucho Argentino
  Travesías a caballo por una red de refugios en el Iberá. Cabalgatas de varios días con…★ 5
• Iberá Spirit
  Agencia de turismo especializada en los Esteros del Iberá desde hace 10 años. Paquetes…★ 5

Species profile

• Common nameCoypu
• Scientific nameMyocastor coypus
• GroupMammal
• StatusNative

Other species of the Iberá

• 🐆 Ocelot
• 🐜 Giant Anteater
• 🐆 Jaguar
• 🐻 Southern Tamandua
• 🐒 Black Howler Monkey
• 🐱 Puma
• 🦦 Neotropical Otter
• 🦊 Maned Wolf