Capybara

The Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest of all rodents. (It should be noted that the now extinct rodent Phoberomys pattersoni was significantly bigger.) Full-grown Capybaras reach between 105 and 135 cm in length, and weigh 35 to 65 kilos. They are native to most of the tropical and temperate parts of South America east of the Andes, always near water. It is the only living member of its family, Hydrochoeridae.

Capybaras are excellent swimmers, and have partially webbed feet. They mate in the water, use the water to hide from predators, and can stay submerged for several minutes. Capybaras can even sleep underwater, with only the nose exposed.

Capybaras are herd animals. They spend most of their time on the banks of rivers, feeding in the mornings and evenings. The diet consists of vegetation such as river plants and bark.

In the regions along the Parana river in Southern Brazil, Northern Argentina, and Uruguay, Capybaras are frequently captured and kept as pets, or occasionally hunted for food. Their Spanish name is Carpincho.

When Spanish missionaries first found Capybaras in Brazil during the 16th century, they wrote to the Pope for guidance, saying "there is an animal here that is scaly but also hairy, and spends time in the water (the capybara has webbed feet to facilitate its aquatic habit) but occasionally comes on land; can we classify it as a fish?" The question was significant, as the Catholic faith forbids eating meat during Lent. Having a second hand description of the animal (and not wanting the petitioners to turn away from Catholicism), the Pope agreed and declared the Capybara a fish.

This classification by the pope is not merely historical however. Although science and common sense has since defined this four legged and hairy rodent as a mammal, even to this day the capybara is considered a fish by the Catholic church. No popes since have corrected this quite obvious error.

Approximately 400 tons of capybara meat is consumed yearly, mostly during Lent in Venezuela. Venezuelan farmers who once considered the animal a pest make a valuable addition to their incomes by rounding up the rodents in February just before the onset of Lent (the 40 days before Easter which is supposed to be a time of abstinence from meat especially for Catholics worldwide). The animals are slaughtered around this time so that their meat can be consumed as fish.

The flesh is described as tasting like swine and has a whitish appearance similar to pork.\n