Nutria Pocket Guide

A person's hand holding the pocket guide to identifying Nutria.

Background

During a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) interagency nutria coordination meeting in the fall of 2018, county agricultural commissioners and federal, state, and county agencies and organizations expressed the need for nutria outreach materials. The group requested a pocket-sized, field-friendly identification pamphlet that can be widely distributed to landowners, field staff, and other interested members of the public.

Because nutria resemble native mammals that occupy California waterways, like otters, muskrat, and beavers; proper identification is extremely important. In addition to comparing this invasive species' physical features and activities to those of native species, the pocket guide highlights how to help and who to contact if you spot one.

Thousands of printed pocket guides have been distributed at various locations throughout the Delta and Central Valley regions.

To learn more about nutria in California, visit CDFW’s discovery of nutria web page.

Download the PDF

Instructions for printing and folding

Print double-sided (flip on short edge), cut around edges. Color printing is recommended. Light grey guiding lines identify where to fold. For a sturdier guide, print on cardstock or laminate.

  1. When looking at inside table, fold into quarters starting from the right.
  2. “Nutria Features” should be folded onto the “Body and Tails”
    The inside table of the nutria pocket guide, with four sections visible: Adult Size, Feet and Tracks, Body and Tails, and Nutria Features. When holding it with the inside panel facing you (step one), step two of the folding instructions is to fold the guide into quarters starting from the right. The “Nutria Features” section should be folded onto the “Body and Tails” section.
  3. “Why be concerned?” should be folded onto “Feet and Tracks”
    A partially folded pocket guide with three sections visible: Adult Size, Feet and Tracks, and Why Be Concerned? For step three, the “Why be concerned?” section should be folded onto “Feet and Tracks” section.
  4. “What are nutria?” should be folded onto “Adult Size”
    A partially folded pocket guide with two sections visible: Adult Size and What Are Nutria? For step four of the folding instructions, the “What are nutria?” section should be folded onto the “Adult Size” section.
  5. Turn the guide over and the “Nutria Pocket Guide” cover page will be at the front
    The front cover of the properly folded nutria pocket guide. Step five of the folding instructions is to turn the guide over after completing step four to see the “Nutria Pocket Guide” cover page at the front.
  6. When opening the finished product, the first page is “What are nutria?”
    The front cover of the properly folded nutria pocket guide with the cover partially lifted to reveal the inside sections. Step six of the folding instructions is to confirm that when opening the finished product, the first page is “What are nutria?”

How to order more

For those interested in obtaining pocket guides in bulk for distribution, please...

  1. Contact your agency’s customer service representative at the Office of State Publishing (OSP).
  2. Reference project number "OSP 19 146585" and request a quote for the number of pocket guides you want to print. (Note: price per guide is lower for larger orders)
  3. Place order and distribute pocket guides once received.
  4. Notify Brittany Young at Brittany.Young@deltacouncil.ca.gov of your order for tracking purposes.