A nutria, a type of rodent native to South America that was originally brought to the U.S. in the early 1900s, in Merced County in April 2019. State wildlife officials have finally come up with a theory to explain where a giant, highly destructive rodent that’s been terrorizing California came from: Oregon. California has been battling the rodent ever since, and recent research by wildlife officials suggests the rodents’ sudden return may have been intentional. AdvertisementThe study , released Tuesday by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, found that the state’s nutria populations share a close genetic match to nutria from Oregon. Researchers speculate that people may have brought the rodent to California as a natural remedy to battle overgrowing vegetation or simply because they liked them.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 11, 2026 09:57 UTC