(A capybara, Credit: cohdra)
A rodent estimated at weighing between 100 and 120 pounds was recently spotted, “calm and serene,” hanging out at the Paso Robles Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to MSNBC and numerous other media reports.
Lt. Todd Tognazzini of CA’s Department of Fish and Game and other officials have identified the rodent as a capybara, also known as the world’s largest rodent.
Outside of zoos, capybaras are primarily found in South American countries. Every so often, however, they wind up in warmer U.S. states, such as Florida and, as this incident proves, California. This particular story probably went viral on the Internet because the capybara is so unlike the usual rodents we see. It’s heavy and has a barrel-shaped body with a short head. Its fur is reddish brown.
The fur on this individual must be clean, or as clean as the capybara can keep it after swimming at the plant. Wastewater operator Nick Kamp told MSNBC that he saw the enormous rodent swimming in a pond at the site and marching around the grounds. The pond is the last step in the treatment process before the water goes into the Salinas River, so the capybara showed some good judgment there.
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