The Pearland area is no stranger to invasive animals, from muscovy ducks to black leatherleaf slugs, the place is seemingly crawling with them. But during a weekend drive near the Southbelt Hike & Bike Trail, I encountered a non-native creature I hadn’t spotted in the area before. It looked like a cross between a beaver and a capybara, with soft-looking, dark-colored fur; webbed feet; and a long, sparsely-haired tail. A “capybeaver,” my sister lovingly called it after I later told her about the encounter. “Cute,” I thought, that is, until it flashed its large, hideously orange buck teeth at me. Then it dawned on me that I’d previously heard the name of this mysterious animal with menacing-looking incisors, and there was no longer anything cute about it: Nutria.  

Horrifying dashcam footage shows HPD cruiser fatally strike mother of 4

I followed the rodent until it made a dash for the water and quickly swam below the culvert to the connected pond on the other side of the road. There, I found it feasting on a pile of lettuce and limes, likely left on the sidewalk for the resident muscovy ducks, which didn’t look too pleased to be sharing their meal. When I approached to grab a photo, a rustling of leaves caught my attention. I turned around and found six more nutria of varying sizes hiding in a bush. Not only was this the first time I’d seen the huge rodents in the area after living nearby for almost a decade, but the creatures appeared totally settled in. “The beavers are so cute,” a pair of teenagers walking past told me. 

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Hailing from South America where they are known as coypu, the semi-aquatic rodents—which measure up to 2 feet and can weigh up to 20 pounds—are far from home. Nutria were brought to the U.S. in the late 1800s for the fur trade and have since dispersed across much of the southern and eastern parts of the country. They’ve been found in a least 20 states, most recently in California. The beaver imposters were first detected in Texas in the early 1940s, their spread later aided by a hurricane. Experts say the populations of the swamp rats are increasing, and are especially common in the eastern and southern parts of the state. What’s more, they can multiply at astonishing speeds, producing multiple litters per year.

In the Houston area, nutria have most recently been sighted in places like Memorial Park and Woodland Park, according to iNaturalist. Last year, the giant river rats wreaked havoc in neighborhood communities in Katy. Along the Gulf Coast, nutria sightings have also frequently been reported in Quintana, Galveston, and Jamaica Beach. While “cute” to some, their increased presence in the region is alarming. 

A brush fire that broke out on Monday evening in Malibu Canyon has led to mandatory evacuation orders in parts of Southern California, authorities said.

The Franklin Fire began approximately 3 miles north of the Pacific Coastal Highway in Malibu on Monday and has spread to over 2,700 acres with 0% containment.

Crews are battling the fire amid dangerous Santa Ana wind conditions in the area, which are expected to remain a threat.

Vegetation around the Phillips Theme Tower at Pepperdine University is scorched by the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif., Tues…Show more

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

City officials said the Los Angeles County Fire Department is on scene and trying to control the “rapid rate of spread.”

The Franklin Fire was initially estimated at just about 10 acres but officials said it has grown to at least 100 acres, according to sister station KABC in Los Angeles. A high volume of dry brush in the area and strong Santa Ana winds means there is potential for the blaze to continue to spread rapidly.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during a press conference Tuesday that the cause of the fire remains unknown but arson is being investigated as a possible cause.

“The L.A. County Fire Department and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department are going to join forces with our arson investigators because it’s going to be critical that we learn why this fire started,” he said.

A brush fire in Malibu Canyon has led to authorities issuing mandatory evacuation orders in parts of southern California.

Evacuations were ordered in the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road as well as the Serra Retreat, KABC said.

The fire’s flames were visible overnight from Pepperdine University’s campus.

“Normal operations on the Malibu Campus are suspended for Tuesday,” the university said in a statement on social media. “This includes canceling classes and finals for the day. Critical support personnel should connect with their supervisors about whether they are needed to physically report to the Malibu campus for their regular work shift. All other staff should connect with their supervisors and work remotely if possible. The Pepperdine community continues to shelter in place in Payson Library and the Tyler Campus Center.”

There are no immediate reports of injuries or structure damage and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Pepperdine University cancels classes

Pepperdine canceled classes and finals for Tuesday and there was a shelter-in-place order as flames could be seen from the campus.

The wildfire was not immediately encroaching on Pepperdine but the university was reporting power outages on campus. It appeared the flames were heading south in the direction of Santa Monica but Pepperdine suspended normal operations on campus on Tuesday.

“Normal operations on the Malibu Campus are suspended for Tuesday,” the university said in a statement on social media. “This includes canceling classes and finals for the day. Critical support personnel should connect with their supervisors about whether they are needed to physically report to the Malibu campus for their regular work shift. All other staff should connect with their supervisors and work remotely if possible. The Pepperdine community continues to shelter in place in Payson Library and the Tyler Campus Center. The Franklin fire has grown to 814 acres and flames are visible from the Malibu campus. There are numerous LA County Fire Department engines on campus and their helicopters are using the lakes in Alumni Park to pick up water to drop on the fire from above.”

“The University understands the worst of the fire has pushed past Pepperdine,” they continued. “However, there are smaller spot fires on campus that are not threatening life or structures, and fire resources remain on campus to address these spot fires as they occur. Additionally, power remains out for much of Malibu and therefore, to ensure the safety of our community, we will maintain the shelter-in-place protocol until at least daylight. The EOC will continue to update the community.”

Franklin Fire map

A real-time map provided by fire officials showed the perimeter and evacuation areas of the massive Franklin Fire.

The map on the Los Angeles County Fire Department website reflected the mandatory evacuation order that covered the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road, as well as the Serra Retreat area.

A damage estimate in the Malibu area was not available, but “it’s certain some number of homes are definitely going to be badly damaged,” said Matt Myerhoff, a spokesperson for the city.