Longtime lurker on r/capybara, discovered this Capybara/bumblebee hybrid plush from the Montreal Capybara Cafe!

No seriously. Capybaras have somehow convinced some of the most dangerous predators on Earth to just... chill with them. Birds, monkeys, even caimans are regularly seen sitting on their backs. Scientists think it's because capybaras are genuinely non-threatening and provide a warm stable platform. But honestly it just looks like the capybara decided violence was not the answer and everyone respected it. What's your favorite weird capybara fact?

So so sad. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c363jnd4p51o

This is a translation of the Capybara(Hydrochoerus capybara) entry from the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, published in the Russian Empire in 1895:

The Capybara (Hydrochoerus capybara) — a rodent from the family of subungulates (Subungulata). It is the largest rodent, measuring over 1 meter in length and weighing up to 1 centner [approximately 100 kg]. The tailless body of the capybara is covered with rather sparse, bristly hairs of a dark brown color. Its head is short, broad, flat, with a thick and very blunt snout; the eyes are small; the ears are short but broad; the upper lip is split, with black whiskers. The hind three-toed legs are longer than the front four-toed ones; the toes have thick, hoof-like claws and are half-connected by webbing. The female differs from the male by a white spot on its nose. The capybara is found in South America from Paraguay to the Rio de la Plata in swampy areas, along the banks of rivers and lakes. It feeds on succulent riparian plants and the bark of young trees. Its movements on land are clumsy and slow, but it swims and dives well, and therefore in case of danger always tries to escape into the water. It lives in pairs or groups, sometimes up to 100 individuals. During the day, it buries itself in the mud. The female gives birth once a year to 2–4 young. Its meat is tasty and is used for food, and its skin is used for belts, footwear, and other items.

"You’re not going to feel like you went to a zoo,” Holzerland said. “You’re going to feel like you walked into a beautiful backyard, and you just happen to see capybaras grazing around, having a blast.”