I grew up in south Louisiana. There are people that eat Nutria, but it never really took off as a cuisine. I've tried it and it doesn't taste that bad, its just that people can't stomach the idea of eating a rat. It does look like a small round tailed beaver, but then again, beavers are also related to rats.

When I lived there, I used to take my kids to the lake to feed the ducks. The Nutria there were so tame they would come up and take bread right from your hand.

Scot