Every now and then, the universe just throws a curve ball and you are left scratching your head and saying “wh-a-a-a-a?”. Sometimes the curve ball comes from a pitcher you’d never expect. Like for instance the Metro park system in Portland who we have praised many, many, times on this very website. As far as urban parks and beavers go, they are the apex, the top of the hill.

Until this.

Like all curve balls it starts out so well. A straight shot with good things to offer. My ears perk up and I physically lean into the pitch.

Beavers are redefining the landscape at Smith and Bybee Lake Wetlands Natural Area

Leave it to beavers.

That’s what Metro scientists are doing to restore wetlands and the channel that connects The beavers do most of the work, with an assist from Metro regional parks.

See isn’t that a great start? A park system that recognizes the importance of beavers and the way they help. It’s like sinking into to a comfortable bath that’s just the right temperature. Ahhhh…and then…

It turns out beaver and nutria — the former is native, the latter invasive — work together building dams. And that’s a problem along the channel that connects Smith and Bybee lakes.

“Nutria will help beavers build those dams,” said Elaine Stewart, a Metro resource scientist. “They will tunnel into the side of banks in the channel and take that mud and pack the mud onto beaver dams. It made for a lot of trouble dismantling them to restore the water flow of the channel.”

Nutria help beavers build dams? Nutria carry mud from their excavations to place on dams? If that were true nutria must have the very worst press secretary EVER. Oregon Fish and Wildlife calls them a “Negative keystone species” because what they do harms everyone equally.

And the ‘scientist’ said it on the news. Fake News! Fake News!

Signs of beaver activity are everywhere. From slides and trails to a new, wide dam.

“It’s almost entirely the work of beavers,” Stewart said. “You can see that because it’s almost all wood. There’s very little mud.“

Right.

Because everyone knows beavers never use mud to hold things together. Only the nutria use the mud. Which makes it so hard to rip the dams apart. I know these things because I’m a scientist and I attended a class on beavers.

You don’t think I missed anything when I fell asleep do ya?

Those photos don’t mean anything. The beaver could have been imitating what he learned from the nutria. I’m sure the beavers are just trying something new that day. Beavers don’t use mud. Nutria use mud I’m telling you. Look at my name tag, I’m a scientist!

Well we have a film too. A night time film. With music. Because we know what they’re talking about. Beavers building dams. And nutria…well…right there. You can see for yourself…

Night Moves: Beavers and Nutria Build a Dam from oregonmetro on Vimeo.

I’ve watched this film over and over and I don’t see the nutria lifting a finger, or claw. You let me know if I missed the frame where they pick up the trowel, will you?

The nutria, ma’am,
Can’t build a dam
The muskrat never flies
The otters tail
Is not a whale
Except when Metro Lies.

Experienced and google saavy beaver fans will have seen this picture everywhere on the internet(s). In fact if you do a “search” for beaver images its the number one photo that comes up. (we’re on page three of google images, but moving in the right direction.)

The problem? It’s not a beaver.

For the first time today I really stared at this picture and remembered our beavers and their lovely canine noses. Even photographed upside down or dead our beavers don’t show that much nostril. Was this a Castor Fiber? (European beaver, nope they have dog noses too.) Capybara? (Nope they don’t have webbed feet) Photoshopped anomaly? No.

Its a Nutria.

Owen Brown of Beavers Wetlands & Wildlife set us straight. Nutrias were South American natives and introduced into the United states. Like the Star Thistle we thought was a great idea for growing cheap honey, or the Eucalyptus we bought from the Spanish for growing fast cheap lumber for ships, they didn’t work out so well. The animals turned out to be fairly distructive, and to breed like rabbits. Now there are nutria problems in all of these American states. Oregon fish & Wildlife goes so far as to call them a “Negative Keystone Species”.

The creation story says the Nutria (or Coypu) were introduced by the Mcillhenny Family of Tobasco Sauce fame, who wanted to start a fur trade on Avery Island. A few mistakes later the alligators are a lot happier and we are still dealing with their damage all over the United States and Europe.

Why is this a beaver myth? Because getting beaver confused with Nutria is like mixing up Goofus and Gallant and it happens all the time. People google the word beaver and find a picture of a Nutria, or the details of their constant breeding, or the fact that they harm the environment. I’ve encountered countless forums where people talk about beavers “not deserving to be protected” because they aren’t “native” and only hurt the environment. This is a case of dangerous mistaken identity. Sadly I realize even I have been fooled and a nutria picture is shamefully featured in the “muskrat” images from my second video.

The confusion doesn’t end there. How about this Peruvian Wikipedia page where every single picture of a nutria is actually a picture of an otter? (Turns out “nutria” is the spanish word for “otter”. That’s won’t cause any confusion right?) Or this picture of a man watching a “nutria” that is actually a Capybara? And the youtube abomination of “beavers holding hands” that is actually otters?

Martinez-Beaver fans all I implore you to always look carefully at the photo offered on the internet. Keep your critical thinking caps on when ever you see a beaver photo, and to paraphrase Jerry Macguire;

“Show me the tail!”