Coypu once numbered in the tens of thousands and had destroyed thousands of acres of marshland, had nearly succeeded by 2012. Coypu The coypu (, ; "Myocastor coypus"), also known as the nutria, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, "Myocastor" is actually nested within Echimyidae, the family of the spiny rats. The coypu lives in burrows alongside stretches of water, and feeds on river plant stems. Originally native to subtropical and temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily by
Given name by the parents at birth. In informal situations, given names are often used in a familiar and friendly manner. In more formal situations, a person's surname is more commonly used—unless a distinction needs to be made between people with the same surname. The idioms "on a first-name basis" and "being on first-name terms" refer to the familiarity inherent in addressing someone by their given name. By contrast, a surname (also known as a family name, last name, or "gentile" name), which is normally inherited, is typically shared with other members of one's immediate family. Regnal names and religious or monastic