PalenQ

Whenever i am in Florence i take a walk along the banks of the Arno and from the vantage on the river not far from the American Consulate - north from the town center i always see down below in the mud what are the biggest rats i've ever seen

The rats munch on the parade of food debris floating down the river - they swim around and fight ducks and sea gulls for the scraps.

The rats have been here for years and years now.

Dukey

Been to New York, London, Paris, Moscow, lately?

Grinisa

Those aren't rats, at least not the huge ones. They are nutria.

Jean

Are you sure they weren't nutrias?

The nutria is like a cross between a rat (it is a rodent) and a beaver. Wiki has some pictures:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coypu

PalenQ

Well by the pictures they could be nutrias and by the size i guess - i never heard of those critters so called it a rat

Still it looked a tad more like a rat in being thin haired vs the pictures on Wiki

but no i did not know but will take a picture this Jan when i go to Florence again.

Grinisa

Google "Florence nutria" and a You Tube video comes up and also a good discussion on Slow Travel.

hetismij

Just like the muskrat these are actively hunted and killed in the Netherlands as they cause a huge amount of damage to dikes and the edges of waterways.

ellenem

I enjoyed watching those animals on my last visit to Florence, since they were familiar friends. My childhood home in a suburban neighborhood on Long Island had a backyard pond had a family of muskrats. The ones in florence seemed virtually identical.

laartista

I like watching them too! I think they are cute.

PalenQ

Maybe the Florence Tourist Office should put watching the Nutrias on their official guide map?

LJ

Back in the dark ages when people wore fur, didn't one pay a lot of money for a nutria coat?

PalenQ

seems like local Florentine eateries should want to put these nutriant-laden foods on their menus?

nutria al fredo?

Jean

They were introduced to Italy (and other places) as a fur source, but, as one poster mentioned, they are pretty destructive and have been considered a pest for many years.

Compared to the nutria, the Norway/wharf rat has a longer/pointy face and bigger ears.

jdc26

Hi PalenQ,

I'm actually in Florence as I write this and I actually saw that thing you're talking about yesterday. I stood there for about 15 mins trying to determine what the heck it was. I finally decided that it had to be a rat based on the tail. But, boy, what a huge rat. I've never seen one that big before and it was swiming away, if it was indeed a rat. Yes, I've seen the ones in DC, they don't have a thing on this one.

jdc

ellenem

Here's a link to the ones I knew.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat

They were pretty timid, venturing just a few feet from the water to get some grass. One grew particularly bold and would raid Mom's garden for dahlia plants.