Why did the agouti cross the road?

One of the animals we capybaras are most often confused with is an agouti. Agoutis are rodents and their range overlaps with the range of capybaras but we are not the same animal. In the photo above you can see a [...]]]>  

Why did the agouti cross the road?

One of the animals we capybaras are most often confused with is an agouti. Agoutis are rodents and their range overlaps with the range of capybaras but we are not the same animal. In the photo above you can see a Panamanian agouti running. In the photo you can see some of the ways we look the same and some of the ways we look different.

Baby Caplin Rous running

There is a time in our lives when we capybaras are as small as adult agoutis. In the above photo, Caplin Rous is about two months old and the approximate size of an adult agouti, that is about eight pounds. Of course, Caplin didn’t stay that size just as I haven’t. At one hundred pounds or more, an adult capybara is much, much larger than an adult agouti.

Here are some ways we are the same:

• Similar color
• Both rodents
• Three toes on the back feet
• Cute ears
• Humped back
• We both have hoof like toenails on our back feet
• We both have big rodent teeth
• We are both cute
• We both have underslung mouths
• We are both herbivores
• Humans eat both capybaras and agoutis

Some ways we are different:

• Capybaras are much larger
• Capybara legs are thicker and sturdier
• Agoutis have five toes on their front feet and capybaras have only four
• Agoutis have little hands on their front feet and capybara front paws are useless
• Agoutis like to live in forest undergrowth and capybaras prefer grasslands with swampy areas
• Agoutis eat fruit while capybaras eat mostly grass
• Capybaras are great swimmers and agoutis not so much
• Capybaras have blunt noses and agoutis have pointed noses
• Capybaras live in herds, agoutis live in monogamous pairs
• Agoutis have a tiny tail, capybaras have no tail or an even tinier one
• Agoutis are slender while capybaras are stocky

If you see an animal sitting up like this, it is NOT a capybara

Agoutis can sit up and eat using their little paws. They can also groom themselves with their front paws, which is just crazy.

Does this agouti have a bite on his neck?

It is hard being a prey animal. Probably it is even harder for agoutis since they are so small. Plus they can’t jump into the water for safety.

Hey, did you notice the little pointy tail on that last photo? Capybaras have an even more useless tail. It isn’t even as big as that. Melly says that Caplin Rous’ tail just fell off one day and he never even noticed it.

An agouti at a puddle

Apparently even though they are not swimmers, agoutis don’t mind getting their paws wet.

Agoutis are slender rodents

Click here to view the embedded video.

A short video of wild agoutis in Panama

Where did Fluffy get that corn?

I love squirrels, you know I do.  As Rodent Royalty it is my responsibility to love all of my subjects. But sometimes they don’t make it easy.

I’m sure y’all remember my earlier post about my squirrel friend, Fluffy.  If [...]]]>

Where did Fluffy get that corn?

I love squirrels, you know I do.  As Rodent Royalty it is my responsibility to love all of my subjects. But sometimes they don’t make it easy.

I’m sure y’all remember my earlier post about my squirrel friend, Fluffy.  If you don’t, you really should read that and watch the video before continuing. That post is titled, The Rodent Robber. I also have a The Rodent Robber (Part II: The Rat), which is about Bakersfield. Well worth reading. The two previous posts show just how hard it is to be a magnanimous ruler over the lesser rodents. It is hard. Very hard.

Squirrels are usually pretty lazy

Most of the time it seems like squirrels are pretty lazy, even for rodents. I admire that. There is much to be learned from the squirrel in this regard. But when their laziness drives them to stealing, well, isn’t that different?

And stealing from the porch is one thing. I mean, the outside is their domain. Well, not really the porch though, that should count as part of the house and the house and the pool are mine. So that is where I draw the line. Only apparently Fluffy doesn’t even know about the line! Not that it’s on the porch or even the front door or even THE KITCHEN!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Why don’t you just help yourself, Fluffy?

Now I don’t know what to do. I only know how to open doors, I do not know how to close them. And if I leave the door open, Fluffy will come in and eat all of my food! Help! I need advice. What should I do?

A lesser capybara

Smelly is being really lazy about getting her photos together of the lesser capybaras she saw in Panama. In case you’ve forgotten about them (but how could you?) here is a link to our first post on lesser capys.

Because of Smelly’s lackadaisicalness, this [...]]]>

A lesser capybara

Smelly is being really lazy about getting her photos together of the lesser capybaras she saw in Panama. In case you’ve forgotten about them (but how could you?) here is a link to our first post on lesser capys.

Because of Smelly’s lackadaisicalness, this post is only going to be pointers to the capybara videos she took. There are three videos and they’re all pretty short. They were all taken at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort (more on that in a later post).

Click here to view the embedded video.

The first video shows a yellow caracara, that’s a kind of vulture, eating parasites off three capybaras that have come out of their wetland to graze. Caplin Rous always wanted a bird to land on his back and I have to admit these capys do seem to be enjoying it. Nevertheless, I think a better solution would be not to live in an environment with parasites in the first place! That way you don’t need a scary, killer bird to land on you and peck your eyes out. Okay, I guess that didn’t happen but you never know.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The second video is a quick clip of a capybara resting in the wetland with a not-quite-so-threatening-looking bird climbing all over him. Then the rest of the video shows three capybaras enjoying a nice meal of delicious looking grass. Melly says it rains a lot more down there than it does here in Texas (which is not at all!) so the grass is greener. Also, it is apparently still summer there! I want to live someplace where it is summer all year.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The third video shows one of the three from the last as she is being chased by a stupid human child. Poor thing! She is so pregnant she can hardly move. I bet she has 10 little baby capybaras to take care of even as I write this. I wish Melly had been down there to get photos of the new babies but that’s not the way luck would have it. Anyway that stupid kid scared her and made her stop eating and run back into her pond. I don’t think her bark sounds much like mine but you know how it is, you can’t really tell what you sound like unless you hear a recording and, so far, I have not allowed Melly to record my bark.

I will do my best to get Melly to write a blog post about the Panamanian capybaras later this week. I hope I don’t have to bite her.

Me and Bakersfield chillin in the pool

Sometimes rodents have to work together to achieve fame, and that’s what Bakersfield and I are doing. We are each cute separately but we are exponentially cuter together.

The sum of our parts is cuter than the [...]]]>  

Me and Bakersfield chillin in the pool

Sometimes rodents have to work together to achieve fame, and that’s what Bakersfield and I are doing. We are each cute separately but we are exponentially cuter together.

The sum of our parts is cuter than the individuals

How do I know? Because our video is on the Cheezburger Network! Do you know how BIG that is? It is REALLY, REALLY BIG!

Click here to view the embedded video.

You might want to click through and leave a comment, hopefully something nice. (If the link above doesn’t work try this.)

I am really starting to feel like I am doing my job as Capybara Ambassador. I think Caplin Rous would be proud of me. And, although this is great enough by itself, this same video is going to be shown on Japanese TV on Feb. 7th. We are going to be on TV Asahi’s “Torihada”. If you are in Japan, please watch and tell us how we look!

Me, Jim Perry and Hillary

I am a capybara. I am cute. I have to get used to it. There is nothing I can do about it. But it comes with a cost and that cost is visitors fawning over me, feeding me, scratching and petting me, giving [...]]]>

Me, Jim Perry and Hillary

I am a capybara. I am cute. I have to get used to it. There is nothing I can do about it. But it comes with a cost and that cost is visitors fawning over me, feeding me, scratching and petting me, giving me treats and hugging me. The only one of those things I don’t like is hugging. Capybaras don’t like to be hugged, it reminds us of anacondas.

I am getting used to visitors. Smelly says I am better at it than Caplin was. It might be the only thing I am better at than Caplin. Smelly says Caplin would bite people if they stayed too long. That never happened but I guess he threatened. I don’t do that. The longer people stay, the more I get to know them and the better I like them. Doesn’t that make more sense?

In the photo above you can see me with Jim Perry, the wonderful artist who did the Computer Caplin and Angel Caplin paintings, and his friend Hillary. They only stayed for a couple of hours so I didn’t get much of a chance to know them, although I’d met Jim before and he is cool. They visited me in mid November.

Me with Liz and Marc Capaldi

Liz and Marc Capaldi broke a record on visiting duration. They came over two weekends in a row for a total of three days of visitation. As you can see from the photo above, I really liked them. Okay, it might look like I just like the lettuce but that is not it, I liked them too. Liz is about as crazy about me as a person can be. Marc, while more subdued, is also crazy about me. He has a camera glued to his hand though — Melly has that problem sometimes and it is a terrible handicap — so I didn’t get to bond as closely with Marc as I did with Liz.

You may scratch my nose

I made a special point of positioning myself occasionally so that Marc could reach me with his good hand. They are a very nice, soft-spoken, British couple. The British, it seems, know to bring a capybara treats when they come to visit. This is a lesson all humans should learn.

What? There's no treat in your hand?

Liz likes to swim too so I hope they come visit me when the weather is warmer and we can lounge around in the pool together. That water is pretty cold and even I can’t stay in for very long. Oh hey! That is another thing I am better at than Caplin! Smelly says Caplin would not go in the pool when the water was cold.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is a video of Liz scratching me on the couch.

On the couch with Liz Capaldi

I am quite heavy and it is best to have something on your lap when I sit on you. That is why Liz has a pillow. She moved it away in the video and if you watch her face I think you can see that it was a mistake to do so.

Meanwhile Marc was videoing everything!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I think this video Marc took is one of my cutest videos ever.

Do you see how playful I can be? I am not all that easy to hold onto when I am in that mood. It takes an experienced capybara handler which, unfortunately, Melly is. I think I look like a bucking bronco but guinea pig people call this popcorning.

You should watch all of Marc’s videos of me.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Look how cutely I ask for treats. I am very polite.

I am going to save my visit with Rezoner for another blog post since I think this one already has enough stuff in it. Don’t forget to go to the Capaldi’s YouTube channel to see all of their great videos of me!

The Plushes head to the San Diego Zoo

Owner’s Blog:

I was out in California last week to visit my sister and I couldn’t pass up the chance to visit the world famous San Diego Zoo. Last time I was there, about five years ago, they [...]]]>  

The Plushes head to the San Diego Zoo

Owner’s Blog:

I was out in California last week to visit my sister and I couldn’t pass up the chance to visit the world famous San Diego Zoo. Last time I was there, about five years ago, they did not have capybaras but I knew that they had a band of them now and I couldn’t wait to see them. Of course, I brought my two plush capybaras, Capycoppy (left) and Super Capy (right) with me. I also brought Double Decoy, the guinea pig in the middle. There’s nothing like going around taking photos of plush animals in a crowded area to make you feel crazy.

Double Decoy, Capycoppy and Super Capy at a gorilla statue

My sister, whose birthday we were celebrating, wanted to see the gorillas. We spent a ridiculous amount of time there but all you’re going to see of them is this photo of the plushes with a gorilla bust. Why waste time on other animals when there are capybaras to see?

The capybara exhibit

The zoo is enormous and it will eat up your whole day before you even get to the capybaras if you are not careful. They are at the Elephant Odyssey which is way in the back of the park. It is not too far from the drop off point for the “sky buckets.” The best thing to do is probably to get on the sky tram near the zoo entrance as soon as you arrive, go see the capybaras first and if there is any time left over, you can glance at the rest of the zoo.

Info on capybaras

Do not be expecting to learn a lot about the capybaras — or any of the zoo’s animals — by reading the posted placards. They are not very informative. They don’t even have distribution maps. The zoo’s website has a pretty good entry on capybaras that you can read here.

Four capys resting

The keeper I talked to, Steve according to his name tag, said there are approximately seven capybara in the exhibit including one seven month old male who was born there. That struck me as curious since one is not the typical number of kittens in a capybara clutter. I asked if there had been others and, if so, what happened to them. Steve was evasive on this saying he was not authorized to discuss that. In the photo above, you can see the young male who displays the short, red fur typical of young capybaras.

A capybara with guanacos

There is actually a bigger mystery. In November 2008 the zoo acquired nine adult capybaras. Buddy, the young male, was born there, which should leave them with ten. Why are there only seven? Maybe the above photo provides a hint. I watched this capybara and it was clearly afraid of the guanacos. It should be, Capyboppy, the second most famous capybara, was killed by a guanaco not long after he went to live at the LA Zoo.

Click here to view the embedded video.

San Diego Zoo Capybaras video

In the video you can see that the capybara is nervous when the guanacos come near.

A fat capy is a healthy capy?

Another health issue for the capys might be their weight. Steve said the largest of them weighs 139 lbs, which is within the documented weight range of 120-140 lbs for capybaras…just barely. But you can see in the image above that they are not carrying that weight as muscle. This capybara has a waddle!

Indoor dining

I’m going to blame the guanacos for the capybaras’ weight problem. It is natural for capybara to move around a lot while they are grazing during the morning and evening hours, or the afternoon or even night depending on their mood and where they live. But the capys at the San Diego Zoo have to go through this little door and eat inside. I am assuming this is because the guanacos will beat them up and steal their food.

Chewing on a stick

You may notice that there is nothing growing in the enclosure. I am blaming the guanacos for that too. In the wild, capybara crop the grass so it looks like a golf course. They do not eat it down to nothing. The capy above is forced to chew on a stick rather than satisfying her natural desire to graze to wear down her teeth. Grass is very tough so that wild capybaras keep their teeth nicely worn. Grazing also gets the capybara up and moving, constantly searching for the perfect grass, even when they are not really hungry.

Capybara and tapir

Perhaps I am being unfair to the guanacos; it is possible that the tapir is to blame for some of the austerity of the enclosure.

That brings up another point. Capybaras and tapirs do share the same environment in the wild but what are those guanacos doing in there anyway? Guanacos are cold weather animals as evidenced by their thick coats. They live in the mountains not in the marshes and forest streams. It seems like “South American” is a good enough tag and the zoo just throws the animals in together without even explaining that in the wild these animals would never encounter each other.

The greenery in this photo is outside the enclosure

So what is my opinion of the San Diego Zoo? I could spend days there.

But I am a little tired of the reverence most people give zoos and the haughty attitude of zoos themselves. I think they could provide better information to their visitors using more informative signage and not lumping disparate animals together. I think that rodents, who make up 1/4 of all mammal species, are seriously underrepresented. I think that the zoo environment is not all that safe or healthy for the animals.

For the capybaras, seeing a few fat animals with no reason to move about in a completely unnatural environment does not do them justice. How can people see or understand anything of their natural behaviors and social interactions? How can they appreciate their intelligence and affectionate natures? They cannot even hear their beautiful voices.

There is a place for zoos and I enjoy them as much as the next person, but Garibaldi Rous is a better ambassador for capybaras than capybaras in a zoo.

Wild Venezuela: The Capybara case image

Melly is always looking for more information about capybaras, and who can blame her? The real question is, why isn’t there more available? Some things are just too difficult to understand. At any rate, she did find this video, Wild Venezuela: The Capybara [...]]]> Video Review

Wild Venezuela: The Capybara case image

Melly is always looking for more information about capybaras, and who can blame her? The real question is, why isn’t there more available? Some things are just too difficult to understand. At any rate, she did find this video, Wild Venezuela: The Capybara on amazon.com and was too excited not to buy it.

I was skeptical when I saw the case. Not only is that not a capybara but it is one of our arch enemies! Crocodiles are known capybara killers so what’s up with that?

We loaded it up and started watching.

Scene from Wild Venezuela: The Capybara

I was pretty happy with the beautiful capybara images, like the one above. Look at all those capys! I am sure that many of us would scare me to death! And I don’t think I would be one of the dominant males described in the video. I probably wouldn’t be one of the subordinate males either. I’d probably be one that got run off and had to live all alone.

Melly had some problems with the video. We’re going to go over those quickly and not dwell on them.

• Monkeys probably came from Africa and not from North America as the video says.
• Rabbits are not rodents although the video tends to indicate that they are. This is a common misconception that Melly and I both wish they wouldn’t propagate
• Cavys did not come from North America but rather from Africa and are related to African porcupines.
• Giant rodents are not restricted to South America. The North American beaver is the 2nd largest rodent followed by African porcupines.
• Correct spelling of the scientific name for capybars is Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris.
• Our fur does not grow darker with age, actually gets longer and lighter in color.
• I resent them saying our eyes and nasal orifices are “protruding!” As an adaptation to aquatic life, one has to consider that closely related non-aquatic species such as guinea pigs have similar placement.

Mostly the video was pretty good and Melly, Rick and I all enjoyed watching the capybaras enjoying their wild habitat. There are a few scenes that might need adult consideration before showing to children. Specifically, there are several examples of capybara matings and one scene where a hawk is eating the eye out of a dead capybara. Ewe! I had to turn away for that last one.

Scene from Wild Venezuela: The Capybara

It is hard to argue with all the cute baby capybaras which really steal the show.

Most of the video was shot in the Apure state in central Venezuela and a lot seems to have been taken at Hato El Frio, where Melly saw them before she got Caplin Rous. The video is from 2002, which is a long, long time ago. Sadly, the state of wild capybaras in Venezuela has probably deteriorated since then.

I recommend this video on the basis of its beautiful capybara images and the fact that it doesn’t have any competition.

Me, Sheldon, Phoenix and Chesapeake

This is a continuation of my last blog post, Super Saturday Part I.

When we get home from a trip in the car, I always get to go on a little walk around the property. Generally I can go wherever I want as [...]]]>  

Me, Sheldon, Phoenix and Chesapeake

This is a continuation of my last blog post, Super Saturday Part I.

When we get home from a trip in the car, I always get to go on a little walk around the property. Generally I can go wherever I want as long as Melly and Sheldon don’t think it is dangerous. When we got back from our lunch, I first decided to go visit the horses. I’m not afraid of them as long as they are on the other side of the fence. Sometimes I think I would like to go in there but then I realize that I probably wouldn’t like it after all.

The horses are Phoenix, the dark one on the left, and Chesapeake, the bay horse on the right. Melly says they are both nice (although Buzz, who is not shown in the nicest), but she still doesn’t trust them with me. I like that Phoenix has stripes. You can only see the one down her back in the photo but she has stripes on the backs of her legs too. Melly says she is not a zebra but she doesn’t know everything. Anyway, I wish I had stripes.

Taking Sheldon for a walk

I keep thinking there has got to be something delicious to eat on all the land that surrounds my yard. I search for it on my walks but there is never anything. Melly says this is because of the drought.

Where is that delicious morsel I crave?

Seriously, there is nothing out here, not even dried grass. The horses must have eaten it the couple of times that Melly has let them out to graze. They are not as picky as I am and they are much faster eaters.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is a video of my walk with Sheldon.

Might as well go home

Eventually I gave up and headed back for the yard. It looked like a veritable jungle next to the rest of the property. I’ve been complaining about the quality of the grass and I’d like to say I’m going to stop now that I’ve seen what we’re up against, but I don’t see myself doing that.

Nap time!

After all the excitement of the morning, Sheldon and I needed a nap. Melly didn’t though. She can never stop taking photos and you can’t do that while you’re sleeping. I’d just gotten to sleep when Melly got a phone call from Jim Perry, the famous artist who did the wonderful paintings of Caplin Rous. You can see his Computer Caplin painting here.

A puzzle made from Jim Perry's Angel Caplin portrait

Above is a puzzle that we were selling featuring Jim’s art. This puzzle is sold out but there are others available, although not with Jim’s art on them.

I was excited to meet Jim although I really didn’t want to get up.

Jim Perry is trying to wake me up

Treats will work miracles though and I managed to stir myself enough to eat some peanuts. The really great thing was that Jim forgot to take the peanuts with him when he left the room. Later I came back and ate them, plastic bag and all.

In the pool with Jim Perry

Of course we had to go for another swim, my third of the day but probably only the first for Jim Perry and Sheldon. Melly said the water was too cold for her to get in and Rick never gets in with me.

Roughhousing with Rick

Rick and I did some more roughhousing. Melly sometimes calls this game Killer Capybara but no one has died yet.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A video of my visit with Jim Perry.

Why is Sheldon making that face?

Swimming with me is a lot of fun because of how fun I am. When the water is murky, as it was for Jim Perry’s visit, I can swim underwater and appear anywhere. Remember, I can hold my breath for up to five minutes. I like to startle people by sneaking up behind them. I also like being thrown backward as Sheldon is throwing me in the photo above. Jim Perry lacked the confidence to do that. Maybe next time.

That is the end of my Super Saturday story. I hope you have enjoyed it!

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Me and a squirrel eating birdseed

I don’t know whether to love weekends or to hate them. The good thing is that Melly doesn’t have to go off to work in the morning. The bad thing is that Melly doesn’t have to go off to work in the [...]]]>  

Me and a squirrel eating birdseed

I don’t know whether to love weekends or to hate them. The good thing is that Melly doesn’t have to go off to work in the morning. The bad thing is that Melly doesn’t have to go off to work in the morning. I’ll attempt to explain why I have such conflicting feelings using this Saturday as an example.

The photo above doesn’t really have to do with Melly, it could have happened on any day. Or maybe not. Melly gets things in order around the house first thing Saturday morning and one of the things she did this Saturday was replace the seed in the bird feeder. It seems that Rick, through good intentions and an unqualified penchant for bargains, bought Melly some new, but cheap, birdseed. Only problem is, the birds didn’t want to eat it. It’s not such a great bargain because Melly ended up pouring most of it out on the ground and mixing the rest with some higher quality seed. I guess the squirrels and I aren’t as finicky as the birds because the seed was like a feast for us.

In case you’re wondering if I get along with all the hundreds of squirrels that roam our property, the answer is yes. They are fellow rodents, after all. And they are cute. Sure they flaunt their ridiculously fluffy tails (similar to Stripe, the kitten from an earlier post), but I guess if you have it you might as well flaunt it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video is an example of just how sharing I am with the squirrels.

I am going to bite this life preserver into little bits

Sheldon came over a little before noon and he, Melly and Rick took me for a swim in the pool. I was the only one who got in the water because the humans thought it was too cold. Can you believe that? They should have gotten in with me for my first swim of the day at 6:30 am! It wasn’t even cold then!

Rick is pretty fun to have around the pool even if he doesn’t ever get in with me.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video shows how I play with Rick when I’m in the pool.

We play a game that Melly calls roughhousing. I don’t know what that means; there is no house involved, smooth or rough. The whole thing takes place in my pool out in the backyard. What I do is swim up to Rick underwater and let him grab me. Then I struggle furiously while he holds onto me. Eventually I get away or he throws me backward into the water. I’m not sure which ending I like better. Either way we repeat the whole thing over and over. Sometimes I get a little too excited and bite his arms but it’s not a real bite, only a scratch.

So what’s not to like about Saturdays? I’ll tell you what! That darned Melly isn’t content to just stay at home anymore. Now every single Saturday — and Sunday too — we have to go somewhere in the car.

Me in the car

I know I look regal in the car but that is not the point. I do not like drives and I do not like going places. It used to be that we’d just go to East Dogistan, the land of dogs east of our house.

Me in East Dogistan

Melly says she is teaching me my way home in case I ever get lost. I hope I never do because East Dogistan is scary. There are lots and lots of dogs there and they all bark at me and threaten to eat me.

The past two weeks Melly has raised the bar. Now we got to East Dogistan only on Sundays. On Saturdays we go out to lunch. Out to lunch! Do you hear (or rather, read) that? We get in the car and go to a restaurant. There are people at the restaurant. And cars. And horns. Luckily, there are no dogs, at least not that I’ve seen.

I met two girls at the restaurant

When People come over I am expected to be polite and friendly. I do my best, as I did with the two girls above, but it is not easy. The whole thing scares me and I shake from head to toe. Of course, Melly, Rick and Sheldon all talk to me, pet me and feed me treats to try to calm me down but it is impossible to be calm under these circumstances.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Walking helps me call down a little.

That's not happy poofy, that is scared poofy.

I met quite a few people, more than eight but then I ran out of toes to count them on. I wasn’t scared of the people but the whole situation scared me. We capybara are a bit territorial and who’s to say that the restaurant is not in the territory of another capybara? Worse yet, a dog?

I let myself be pet. Actually, it wasn't too bad.

I guess I might get used to being pet by strangers, after all, no one is stranger than Melly. I am just not sure I can get used to strange places.

Help me, Sheldon!

At one point I practically begged Sheldon to help me. Luckily, lunch was almost over and soon we were back in the car.

What happened to the back of the car?

I thought I could talk about my whole day in one blog post but apparently I was wrong. There’s still a lot to cover but I think it will have to wait until my next post. I hope y’all are excited to hear about it!

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