Monday, March 1, 2010

Denizens of Japan #6: Nutoria (Beaver-rats)

It seems that at least half of the denizens I've written about have evoked my ire or repulsion in some way. But not all Japan-based creatures have forged antagonistic relationships with me. Take this thing:


How could I hate that? I didn't even know what the hell it was or that it even existed prior to a few days ago. Well, apparently it's a nutria, a.k.a a coypu. The natives call it ヌートリア. The Dutch call them beaver-rats, and I think I can guess why. Anyway, it seems a family just moved (or was moved...?) into a nearby park. They built these dirty-looking nests in a shallow pond. Hey, live and let live. The little ones are even kind of cute. But they'd better leave the sakura and ume trees alone, or they'll soon be on my $#%& list.

10 comments:

  1. Ha, we get these things in New Orleans/Louisiana and call them Nutria. We had a famous sheriff who would go out for photo ops and shoot them. Vermin, they are definitely vermin.

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  2. Hmmm...I knew they looked too much like rats. Do they cause a lot of damage? Could be bad for the park...

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  3. I only know of them from Seinfeld. George had a Russian hat made out of one. It was the Kenny Chicken episode.

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  4. Hahaha...I remember that. Didn't Kramer get it for him from Bob Sacamano?

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  5. I'm actually kind of surprised to see that they are in Japan. Nutria are actually an invasive species originally from South America I believe. I knew they had spread, but not that far.

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  6. It was indeed from Bob Sacamano. Ah that Bob Sacamano, best character ever. WAIT I just remembered. JERRY got the hat from Bob Sacamano. Jerry was staying in Kramer's apartment and started becoming Kramer. Damn, that was an awesome episode. Sorry, sidetracked from the big rats.

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  7. No problem. Seinfeld is just as interesting as big rats, I think.

    Chris - you have experience with these things?

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  8. It looks like the muskrats we have in Minnesota. Pests.

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  9. There was a report last night on Japanese TV about these creatures in Kyoto. Apparently they cause havoc for farmers, but the tourists love them. Turns out that they were bred during the war by the army to provide gloves for soldiers in the colder climes. That's how they ended up in Japan.

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  10. Haha, interesting. Beaver-rat gloves.

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