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World’s largest rodent found in Paso Robles wastewater

August 17, 2011

A species of the world’s largest rodent, a capybara, was discovered July 22 by Nick Camp at the Paso Robles Wastewater Treatment Plant. [Huffington Post]

Kamp took photographs of the animal, which can grow up to weigh 145 pounds and measure four feet in length, and described what he saw: “It had the body of a pig, but it had a longer nose and head to it.”

He said that the animal seemed calm, and swam with its head above and below the water.

Todd Tognazzini, a lieutenant with the Department of Fish and Game, believes the capybara is an escaped pet, although the animal cannot legally be kept without a special permit, reported UK’s The Telegraph.

Native to South America, capybaras are the largest rodents in the world, and can grow to be as large as a big dog.

 


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It’s a BEAVER! Look at the tail! It’s not a Capybara. Here’s a picture of a Capybara:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara


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LOL, LOL, LOL, I think I know what is going on here. CCN didn’t actually post the photo that was taken by Nick Camp at the PR Water Treatment Facility. I think they found what they thought was a photo of a Capybara but put up a photo of a beaver by mistake. This is too funny, no wonder he is so small and I thought he was a baby!


According to Karen yesterday, while on th Congalton Show, she mentioned she had to be in LA today for a latino journalist gathering surrounding the loss of George Ramos. When the cat’s away, we get a beaver!


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Beaver need love too…ahem.


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Amy, it seems you are absolutely spot on. However, it’s all but certain the image depicted is not the animal in Paso. Most media use representative images when an actual photo is not available–people expect to see a photo.


Both the Huffington Post and UK Telepgraph articles use stock images as well.


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I want one!


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The photo looks like a beaver to me. Note the flat tail.


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Cindy! “Cute?!”…”I wonder if they bite?!”

Do they eat people, is what I wanna’ know!


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He looks a lot like “NUTRIA’s” that I have seen in Oregon & Louisiana. Does anyone know what the difference is between the two critters?


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Well, size for one thing.


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If I have something that weighs 145 lbs living with me, he BETTER be getting a paycheck! LOL


Cindy, don’t forget to get the permit when ya find him…


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Paycheck, well I could charge all my neighbors for his weed whacking expertise and just think, he even cleans up after himself, LOL. Gotta admit that 145lbs is a big dog, good thing he eats grass.


Permit? Capybara, what capybara, that’s not a capybara. Just kidding, I wonder what the permit entails? I guess getting one will all depend on what the criteria is, otherwise, “Capybara, what capybara, that’s not a capybara” ;) just kidding, not. What harm can he do, it’s not like I plan to mate him/her and it’s already here and will probably die if someone doesn’t take care of him comes winter.


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Hmmm…appears he might be a beaver??? In that case, no permit needed?


Pssst…we will take up a collection for your bail, should you find the “Capybara” and go unpermitted…LOL!


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He’s made it through probably 6 winters already.


They need to roam, and their natural surrounding is an area that has access to large, shallow bodies of water.


Jeeze, why is the human response to seeing a wild, unusual animal have to be either:

a) shoot it, or,

b) capture it and put it in an enclosure as an object d’ interest.


People are buying wallabies now and keeping them as pets, so they don’t have to mow the lawn. Wallabies need acres and acres to roam.


Just leave the danged wild animals alone. We are fortunate to have a capybara here. Let’s just enjoy it while it lasts.


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HA!HA!HA!HA!

Holy crap! The plumber just left, and now I’m afraid to flush the toilet!

NOW, will you remember to put the seat down, Lenny?! Better yet, put a cement block on it!.


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LOLOL!!!


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I’m sure the capybara can get elected to the LOCSD board of directors. The bar is pretty low in that CSD.


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WOW, I just looked this little guy up to see what he is all about. Not only does he eat all the grass and save people from weed whacking but he also eats his poop! No mess to clean up after him. Actually he eats lots of grass and will have to be supplemented from the hay and feed store and he likes aquatic greens which there are plenty of at the A-Town Lake. I think I’ll go try to find this silly rodent and save him.


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He’s cute, I want one. Being native to South America causes me to wonder if he can survive a Paso Robles winter? North County does have some winter evenings with freezing temperatures. He looks very young and I bet he only recently escaped or was released. He would be a cute/fun addition to an outside pond with a cute little doll house that had a heating pad in it for the winter, I wonder if they bite? ;)


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Dept. of Fish and Game has known of a Capybara in the area for almost 7 years. It’s assumed to be the same one as all of the sightings over this period have taken place with about a 7 miles area.


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7 years? He looks like a baby not more than maybe 20-25lbs. They only live 10-12 years and if he is 7, he should be much bigger (100+#) but pictures can be deceiving. I just read the story in the Tribune and they are saying they think there is just one capybara and that he has been seen for at least 3 years, so this must be the same guy? If he isn’t a baby, he sure won’t want to be someone’s pet after having his freedom for so long and if he has been around at least 3 years, it sounds like he doesn’t need any help. I hope they leave him alone and let him enjoy himself, they are talking about trapping him and sending him to the zoo. I don’t know how social they are or if he is lonely for other capybara but I hope they do some serious homework before they put a free creature in a cage.


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It seems like they can handle the PR weather, especially if there are bodies of water around (water holds heat longer than air).


This url is for a graphic of the distribution area of capybura in South America:

http://library.thinkquest.org/3882/images/capy.jpeg


It looks like the southern-most range is about 38 degrees latitude.


I looked up the weather in the pampas area of Bolivia. Wikipedia sayeth the following:


“The fall arrives in March and brings periods of very rainy weather followed by dry, mild stretches and cool nights. Across the region, daytime temperatures range from 24°C to 28°C in March (nights range from 12°C to 16°C), from 20°C to 24°C in April (nights 9°C to 12°C), and from 17°C to 21°C in May (nights from 5°C to 9°C). Places in the east receive rainfall throughout the fall, whereas in the west it quickly becomes very dry, and many places receive less than 15 mm in May. Frost arrives in early April in the southernmost areas, but only in late May in the north. June, July and August are the core of the winter in the Pampas, and there are often drastic changes in temperature. When winds blow from the north, it is not uncommon to see temperatures between 22°C and 25°C (although nights remain cold) and some spots in the western part may even hit 30°C; however, after cold fronts from the south, highs might not reach 5°C in the west and 8°C in the east, and night time temperatures can fall below -5°C.

Generally speaking, highs range from 12°C to 19°C and lows from 1°C to 5°C, frost is common and precipitation is very scarce in the west. Snowfall is very rare in most parts, although there have been snowstorms in the past: in 2007, most of the northern pampas were covered with snow up to 20 cm in some areas, and low temperatures plummeted to -12°C in parts of Córdoba and San Luis provinces. A common feature is a strong, southeasterly wind called Sudestada, which is often accompanied by drizzle, cool weather and rough seas along the coast..


5 degrees C is 41 degrees F; 1 degree C is 34 degrees F. -12 degrees C is 10 degrees F.


Plus, if it hangs in the WWT facilities settlement ponds, because of the bioactivity, it is usually warmer.


While capybura make beds in shallow soil areas, so maybe that helps, too. Or maybe they herd it up to gain the warmth of the herd.


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