Spiny rats and coypu | Echimyidae

Stekelratten en beverratten | Ratas espinosas y coipos

A South American family whose members are mostly rat-like forest animals with spiny guard hairs, and one of which has ended up in Europe: the coypu, a heavy semi-aquatic rodent that escaped from fur farms and has settled in marshes, ditches and river banks. The hind feet are large, with webbing between four of the five toes; the tail is round and scaly, not flattened as in the beaver, and works as a rudder. Eyes, ears and nostrils sit high on the head, so that a swimming animal barely breaks the surface; the lips close behind the heavy orange incisors, so that rootstocks and reed can be gnawed under water. The teats lie high on the flanks, letting the young suckle while the mother swims. There are several litters a year and the young are born furred and open-eyed.