I am from San Antonio. I saw this critter on may 12, 2011 at the Jordan River close to where is the outlet of Lake Galilee. This is the spot where people get baptized. I walked down the stairs to the river edge in the baptism area. This critter was not scared but still munching something by the guard rail. I saw the big incise teeth and said it can not be a rat because it is larger than a rat. And it can not be a beaver, because it is smaller than a beaver. Plus when it swam away slowly, its tail is round like a rat, not a beaver's tail that is like a rudder. I took a picture of it. Now nutria or coypu is also in Israel.