Mar 27, 2008

Two Pairs

In my digging around for Sumreen's tapirs, I came across this gem. These two tapirs share their enclosure with another unlikely pair: a couple of capybaras.

This photo looks like it comes from some alternate dimension, where the rodents are oversized (100 lbs in the case of the capybara), and where pigs have coats, manes, and prehensile snouts. But these creatures don't come from an alternate dimension. They come from an alternate hemisphere (from me, at least).

Thanks for the photo, Sarah.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Capybaras are awesome! i was going to ask you for some, but i have too much less interesting stuff to do.
are they not giant squinty gerbils? i LOVE capybaras!!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for bringing this hideous animal to my attention!

According to the article below, this obese rat likes to eat its own poop, is commonly clubbed to death, and is considered a fish by many who enjoy its saltporky flavor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/world/americas/21rodent.html

"While the Roman Catholic Church generally forbids eating meat during certain days of Lent, many Venezuelans insist that the capybara is more akin to fish than to meat. "

Marty said...

I love how chill the capybaras look. Nothing bugs them.

Anonymous said...

I have to protest in that while capybaras are not the most attractive critters, they are charming and rather adorable in their own right.

True, they eat their own poop, but so do guinea pigs and rabbits. (This is strictly out of necessity; in order to get the nutrients they need they must digest their food twice. They only eat first-run poo.) They are also excellent swimmers, affectionate pets, and they make cute chirping sounds.

Anonymous said...

hey, now, enough name-calling of the beautiful capybara. i must insist. Heck, dogs eat their own poop, too. And, fish? how are they fish? do you see any gills? any evolutionary-leftover webbing? Hence, cute, cool, awesome. Case closed. no appeals recognized. Gavel banged.

you too, wombat. any name-calling goes through me!!

Raging Wombat said...

Shay: yes, ma'am.

Little Tart said...

Two of my favorites! I love me caps and taps!