Is Florida About to Be Swamped With Capybara?

Source: Motherboard | August 20, 2016 | Sarah Emerson

Capybara are real damn cute. Look at this bugger. In fact, capybara are so endearing, that some people may have been importing them to own as pets.

A capybara moment. Image: Wikimedia Commons

This might explain why the 100-pound rodents, which are native to South America’s marshlands, have been showing up in places where they don’t belong. According to biologist Elizabeth Congdon, an assistant professor at Bethune-Cookman University, the state of Florida could have a serious capybara problem—and it might be the fault of exotic pet owners.

For the last few decades, random capybara sightings have been reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission by befuddled Florida residents. In 2001, several critters were said to have escaped a captive herd near Alachua. That same year, one was killed on Interstate 10. Others have seen them feeding along the banks of local rivers.

Up until now, there’s been no concrete evidence that Florida’s capybara have been breeding, even though the feral animals had to have been coming from somewhere. Their origin story is actually a bit of a mystery, involving rumors of capybara being released by pet owners, sneaking out of zoos, or even fleeing research facilities. Since sightings have been sporadic, biologists haven’t been able to tell whether the animal has become an established invasive species, meaning a threat to native wildlife.

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However, in a presentation at the 53rd Annual Conference of the Animal Behavior Society, this is exactly what Congdon said might be occurring. Based on a known population of around 50 capybara in northern Florida, Congdon believes the species could be thriving and dispersing throughout the state’s waterways. In order to understand what effects they might be having on flora and fauna, she also announced that she’ll be conducting a systemic review of the aquatic rodents.

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