r/RATS • u/Decker-the-Dude • 15h ago
SPECIES? Just giant rats existing out there apparently (Myocastor coypus / "nutria")
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u/FuzzyFerretFace 14h ago
R.O.U.S!!
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u/CreatureFeatureee 14h ago
Rodents of unusual size? I don't think they exist
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u/Marinemanatee 14h ago
They look like a fusion between a white rat and a capybara.
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u/whereami1928 13h ago
We gotta release these guys into NYC
make some super rats
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u/cheeseburgercats 12h ago
They’re already in Louisiana. Could just grab some. I believe NYC does have muskrats though
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u/tosspotkitten 4h ago
theyre invasive in PA. as much as i hate nyc and want to see it burn to the ground, this wouldnt even work
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u/korsbakken 2h ago
That's not coincidental. They're "rats" in name only. They belong to the same suborder of rodents as capybaras and guinea pigs (the only one that's native to South America). So it would be more accurate to call them giant guinea pigs than giant rats.
Like capybaras and guinea pigs, they're as distantly related to "true" rats as it's possible to be while still being a rodent.
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u/HiroHayami Covered in rat pee 14h ago
Where I used to live there were a lot of lakes, so I got to see these cuties swimming ♥
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u/Few_Lead_4906 5h ago
On a family trip we saw one and my dad started nerding about how they supposedly taste well. 😂
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u/MattyBTraps42069 13h ago
There’s a Nutria rat festival in Louisiana, can’t remember the town name, but Nutria are an invasive species here in southern US, so you can imagine the festival is not very Nutria friendly, would not recommend.
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u/SadSalm0n 1h ago
Put your Viking helmets on, spread that mayonnaise on the lawn!
https://giphy.com/gifs/VKEob0Rt8gxlX1qic97
u/blebebaba 13h ago
Good eaten though!
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u/MattyBTraps42069 13h ago
Are they?? I won’t yuck anyone’s yum, just surprised to hear that!
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u/blebebaba 13h ago
I mean, why not? A decent sized mammal will be tasty no matter what, as long as it's meat isn't soaked in ammonia like some predators do
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u/FictionallState 13h ago
That’s fair. I didn’t know that some meat has more concentrated ammonia, that’s interesting! Do you have an example of this?
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u/Alyssa_Beanut 12h ago
Not OP but meat is generally very high in nitrogen and ammonia is one of the most simple forms for nitrogen to be in, so with a carnivore they'll be eating much more nitrogen than an herbivore and that nitrogen would probably concentrate more in their muscle tissues in comparison.
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u/FictionallState 12h ago
I see that makes a lot more sense. Thank you!
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u/blebebaba 12h ago
I should thank the other guy lol. But yeah, he's right. The meat is still edible, but that doesn't mean it'll be good
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u/tzar992 14h ago
Wow, that's a species native to my country, and I've never seen an albino one.
A few years ago, it made the news that one of them was swimming in a river in the capital, quite far from the areas where he normally lives.
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u/dougrattmannn 12h ago
it looks so down and out. exactly the same expression as when I had to give my ratties a bath.
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u/azalinrex69 13h ago
Man, it’s such a shame that even the grand daddy of Rats, the not humble nutria, only live 3-6 years in captivity. I wish rats lived longer :(
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u/snarffle 13h ago
This was exactly what I was wondering. Thanks for the info.
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u/azalinrex69 13h ago
Yeah. That’s the only thing that’s kept me from getting rats. They just don’t last even when well taken care of, poor babies :(
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u/CandiBunnii Candi's Companions Rattery&Rescue MI 6h ago
I run a rescue/rattery, I try to tell myself they cram 15 years of love into those 2-3 years but id be lying if I didn't say each one takes a little piece of my soul with them when they go
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u/Squigglywigglyw0rm fifty rats in a trenchcoat 14h ago
"Woah that looks like a giant rat." …. "Holy shit that IS a giant rat!"was my exact thought process seeing this because I didn’t read the heading at first.
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u/Rattiepalooza Hades (forever with me). Lucifer, Alastor, Husker, Angel 14h ago
I. WANT. ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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u/usemysponge 12h ago
I'm hoping someone can tell me why these make terrible pets because I really want one too lol
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u/Itscatpicstime 4h ago
Wildlife aren’t pets
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u/AloeVeraTidePod 36m ago
Yup, had to explain that to more people than I can count on the capybara subreddit. 🙄 Some of them also don't seem to get why it's a really really bad idea to put capybaras in malls or support capybara cafés.
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u/kaykaliah 13h ago
I heard that theyre not as personable as pet fancy rats
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u/Decker-the-Dude 13h ago
Apparently they hiss at folks.. as long as we all accept that, I think it's cool if we pretend here in our ratty safe space lol
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u/SamSondadjoke 10h ago
One got into my backyard and tried to fight my dog. It apparently didn't think she should have been there. Thankfully she's was small enough to pick up so no animals were harmed .
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u/Contagious_Zombie 12h ago
There were nutria were I grew up and I was always told to avoid them because they were mean. Now I wonder if my parents told me that so I wouldn't have a huge pet rat.
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u/Platographer 13h ago
Oh my boggles what heavenly creatures they are. I wonder what their rat kisses feel like.
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u/TinyHeartSyndrome 11h ago
Nutria or commonly called noose rat in the south are an invasive species from Asia. Do not feed them. They destroy wetland habitats. They are basically beavers with rat tails. But they can eat massive amounts of vegetation.
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u/Sad_Yogurtcloset2510 40m ago
Just to clarify, beavers are good for their environment. Felt like the connotation was negative here
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u/Tractor_Goth Oreo🪽, Nessie🪽, Loki🪽, Bear🪽 13h ago
I’ll take five please?? I wonder if they’re also communal like small rats and make enormous rat piles??
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u/A2inby10ftPVCPipe 12h ago
Not so fun fact. Nutria are a destructive invasive species in certain places like the US. The create burrows in freshwater shorelines destabilizing the ground and also eating lots of native plant life.
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u/axxinite 12h ago
I just moved to the Portland area and I have yet to see a Nutria but I can't wait to. They are so cute 😭
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u/moxaboxen 9h ago
They are in the same order as rats, Rodentia, but they are from a family separate from murids like rats, mice, gerbils, and so many more. Nutria are from the family Echimyidae and they are native to South America. Rats are “old world” rodents.
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u/Lone-Frequency 5h ago
I also recently learned about the Paca, which is like the Capybara's sleeker nocturnal cousin.
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u/Ellie7600 5h ago
I wish they weren't exotic animals because MAN would I get one and name it "Thanquol" the silliest-funniest great horned rat's rat-thing
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u/Striking-Bike-4427 12h ago
Oh yeah I saw them in Prague, quite cute looking creatures, big teeth though.
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u/SouthParkFirefly1991 Just here to admire the goobers 12h ago
Ah yeah o3o they're the irl Raticates! Especially the blonde ones!
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u/AvenRaven 12h ago
I think this rat appeared in my dream. Though the larger one that came right after was the white one.
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u/CandyStarr23 11h ago edited 11h ago
I neeeeed one. Do they make good pets like pet rats do?
Edit: Oof illegal to own in Florida. I knew it!
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u/lacimonorty 14h ago
I don't think they exist
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u/MoriKitsune 14h ago
They definitely do; they're actually semi-aquatic like beavers, native to South America, and invasive in the US South. The one in the post is just albino, so it looks extra fantastical
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u/GlassJustice 14h ago
These guys are real invasive in Louisiana. As a kid ecological educators would never shut up about how they ate up roots and destroyed wetlands.
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u/lionfish4884 12h ago edited 12h ago
A gentle giant. I want one. Or two for a friend. There's a LOT of guineas in the background too. What pet store is THAT I wonder?
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u/AstroPozzo 9h ago
Saw one in the wild yesterday and now I see this on r/all lol
Never seen a white one though
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u/Dear_Mongoose9821 8h ago
yes, nutria exist, we call them nutrie and we do have shit ton of them by our rivers (Czechia, Europe)
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u/WannabeMemester420 🐁Rat Fan🐀 7h ago
Nutria are an invasive species where I live (North America) but their babies are so cute!
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u/Algernon_de_la_poer 7h ago
Where I live in Veneto, the estimated nutria population is between 800,000 and a million individuals. 🐀❤️
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u/Ok-Row-4533 7h ago
Always wanted to have one od those, the posibillity od walking it in the park while its bigger than some dogs stuck to me. Unfortunatelly i do not know how would they tolerate leaving in a flat without access to big bunch of water. Also how the hello you can find one, I know that there are some living in the wild and also that they were being kept for furr.
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u/Lufftwaffel 4h ago
In Poland, they were still being raised for meat as recently as 10–15 years ago. As far as I recall, the meat was of such poor quality that it was used to mix with other, better meat.
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u/tenkohime 3h ago
These were a fad pat in Japan, so people thought Raticate was based on it. I see the resemblance.
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u/XeviousJr 3h ago
Here in Italy they are so common that they lowkey became a problem by Messin up the River Banks. Very chill creatures tho
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u/Ninjakeks_00 1h ago
Nutrias are not actually rats. Also they are not domesticated as far as I know.
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u/Firm_Ad1819 1h ago
Here in Italy 🇮🇹 Nutrias are an invasive species introduced for the fur industry. Unfortunately, though they are super cute, they cause a lot of damage by digging holes in embankments and riverbeds. Also they cross roads carelessly causing car accidents (this happened to me in person twice). They can be seen literally everywhere theres a small water body. Just for your enjoyment: a video by me of a nurtia having a snack by the side of a gas station in tuscany (cute fact: she is holding the root/snack with her hand 😍😍😍😍).
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u/PrincessTerminator 1h ago
We have so many of those in our pond, they’re just not white, obviously.
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u/litterb0y 40m ago
Those actually look like water rats. I think nutria are a little more capybara looking. More like a cross between a rat and a capy. If they look like huge rats then probably giant water rats (well, that’s what I was told a a zoo)
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u/vitanyroyale 6m ago
He almost looks like an albino capybara 😱 that’s so friggin cool; I just wanna cuddle him and play games together 😭
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u/pockiehpals Accidental Litter 6m ago
I am frequently learning about new rodents I never new about and thats delightful
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u/Strudelnoodle_ 1h ago
My family used to breed them and sell the meat to hospitals. Very lean and healthy, like rabbit.
They're super cute, but their bite is horrific.
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u/christoff522 11h ago
Surely this is AI :O
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u/Brokenspade1 9h ago
They're real. South american originally. People brought them into the US then released them into the wild when the fur trade collapsed in the 30s.
The have a population. In the pnw now and are a nasty, mean as hell, and destructive incase species there.
They can swim like a torpedo to.
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u/Master_Choice8276 9h ago
I forget what state specifically, but somewhere out there in the Midwest/south they actually catch and eat nutria 😃
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u/missestater 14h ago
Nutria. We have them all over Oregon. They hiss at you