Their eyes,ears and nostrils are set high on their heads. The nostrils and mouth have valves that seal out water while swimming, diving or feeding underwater. The female s teats are located high on her sides to allow theyoung to suckle while in the water. When food is abundant, nutria rest and groom during the day and feed at night. When food is limited, daytime feeding increases, especially in wetlands free from disturbance.
Nutria are native to South America.
The original range included Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil. Due to introductions, they now inhabit a much greater area. Nutria were first imported into the United States between 1899 and 1930 in an attempt to establish a fur farm industry. Many of the fur farm ranches failed in the late 1940's due to a drop in fur prices and poor reproductive success. When the ranches failed many nutria were released into the wild.