Happy capybaras cure Monday blues

It's like a Pentecostal service, but with giant rodents, as a person moves through a crowd of capybaras, scratching each one until it falls over on its side, slain with the spirit of snuggliness.

Some fun facts about everybody's favorite friendly hundred-pound rodent:

FACT: An extinct, North American species of capybara was, on average, a hundred pounds heavier than the current creatures. An even larger ancient rodent once lived in Venezuela and weighed in at 1500 pounds. No word on fossil evidence of cuteness.


FACT: According to the Vatican, capybara count as fish, and are thus acceptable food for Lent. Apparently, the meat looks like beef, but contains less fat and calories. And the taste? I saw descriptions ranging from "pork-like" to "fishy". Which is quite a range. Have any of you tried it?

FACT: Capybaras live in herds—usually a handful of males, plus a lot of females and young. That sort of living arrangement is common for large mammals, but it's very rare in the world of rodents.


FACT: Capybaras are semi-aquatic and can remain underwater for as long as five minutes.

Via Chris Pasco-Pranger