How the Adorable Capybara Captured Hearts Worldwide

Capybaras are experiencing a popularity explosion. Undeniably adorable with a reputation for being exceptionally laidback, it’s not surprising that these semi-aquatic rodents have made a big splash with the public. It’s difficult, if not downright impossible, not to smile while watching a parade of capybaras march through a neighborhood in Brazil.

Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) range widely throughout much of South America and are the largest rodents on earth, measuring up to 4 feet long, 2 feet tall, and weighing between 77 and 146 pounds. So, how did these hefty rodents become the unlikely darlings of the internet? Continue reading to learn more about the capybara’s rise to fame, a fascinating story that spans the globe.

From Obscurity to Internet Icons

Before the mid-20th century, the capybara was found exclusively in South America. That changed in 1966 when the Izu Shaboten Zoo in Shizuoka, Japan, acquired and began breeding capybaras. Although many U.S. zoos now have capybaras, the Cincinnati Zoo was the first, receiving three in 2015. Capybaras are now kept at zoos around the world.

Zoos exposed capybaras to a much wider audience, which contributed to their ubiquitous online presence. From memes to merch, capybaras are suddenly everywhere. This phenomenon is easy enough to explain, given the capybara’s reputation for being a friendly, agreeable animal. Factor in their indisputable cuteness, and you’ve got a perfect storm of internet allure.

Notoriety in Japan

Capybaras began gaining notoriety in Japan in the early 1980s after it was discovered that these semi-aquatic rodents enjoy a warm soak. While cleaning their enclosure with hot water, a zookeeper noted that the capybaras enjoyed relaxing in the resulting warm puddles. This led the zoo to create an onsen, a traditional hot spring bath, for the pack. Izu Shaboten Zoo has since become renowned for its capybara hot spring baths.

The capybara gained even more recognition in Japan in 2005, with the introduction of Bandai Spirits’ character Kapibarasan, a capybara plushie that was initially only available in crane machines at arcades and fairs. The character’s popularity has since spawned an anime series, manga adaptations, spin-off characters, and an amazing array of merch. In celebration of Kapibarasan’s 20th anniversary, pop-up shops filled with Kapibarasan-centric products are popping up throughout Japan.

Rising Fame in the United States

Leading the pack in the U.S. was a capybara named Caplin ROUS who lived in Texas. Caplin took the internet by storm in 2007, in a YouTube video, licking a camera lens. Sadly, Caplin passed away from liver damage at the tender age of 3-and-a-half. Caplin’s premature death (in the wild, capybaras live 8-10 years, while those in captivity can live for 12 or more years) led his owner to create the ROUS Foundation, so that no more pet capybaras would have to suffer the same fate as Caplin.

In 2020, social media sites couldn’t get enough of the Ok, I pull up capybara meme, in which a capybara appears to be riding in the passenger seat of a car, while sampling the opening lyrics to the Don Toliver song After Party. Haven’t seen it? Me neither. It’s a Gen Z thing. Other well-known capybaras in the U.S. include Joe Joe, Dobby, and Donatello. And then there is Eve, the capybara pup famous for busting a move to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Eve, who resides at the Zoological Wildlife Foundation in Miami, Florida, became a viral sensation in early 2024 and is now featured in the zoo’s public-facing habitat.

A Love Song from Russia and a Fugitive in the U.K.

In 2022, Russian TikTok user Сто-Личный Она-Нас released the song Капибара (Capybara) to wide acclaim. The song is lyrically repetitive, almost hypnotizing, and certain to get lodged in your noggin. Videos using the song on TikTok have racked up millions of views. Cinnamon, a capybara at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Telford, Shropshire, England, made news in September 2024 when she escaped! Cinnamon was found a week later in a pond located in the zoo’s woodland conservation area.

Capybaras Are Not Pets

While catapulting to internet fame has its perks, it can also be accompanied by less savory consequences. In the case of the capybara, the downside to their sudden rise in popularity is the resultant uptick in capybara pet trading, in which human desires trump concerns for animal welfare. Beyond legal and ethical concerns, most households are simply not equipped to care for these wild animals, which require a significant amount of space, attention, and care. North America’s most knowledgeable capybara expert, Dr. Elizabeth R Congdon, Associate Professor at Bethune-Cookman University, would like folks to understand that simply because capybaras are adorable and sociable, they are not meant to be pets.

“Capybaras are indeed peaceful when left to themselves with a nice bit of grass to eat and some water to cool off. But they are still wild animals with sharp teeth,” Congdon says. “Individuals will aggressively defend themselves, their territory, and/or their young. The males, in particular, defend their territory from outsiders and can leave intruders substantially wounded.” So, how large a predator can a capybara best? “I’ve seen a full-sized caiman (6-7 feet) back off from an angry female, but I haven’t seen any fights live, Congdon relates. “Among themselves, they have a dominance hierarchy within the group that minimizes fights. The dominant male just needs to ‘bark’ and other males back off,” says Congdon.

“They are among the most social rodents, and members within a group cooperate extensively, including females helping others to nurse and protect the young, says Congdon. “This natural social bonding may make them tempting as pets, but it also means that having them in a household without other capybaras is troubling.”

Moving Forward

Beyond their internet fame, capybaras are a keystone species vital to the health of South America’s wetland ecosystems, as they control plant matter through grazing and enrich the substrate with their scat. Habitat loss, overhunting, and predation are ever-present threats to the capybara’s continued survival.

Jaguars, caimans, and anacondas are natural predators of capybaras, but humans present the biggest threat to these docile animals. A recent study led by ecologist Bernardo Flores of the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil concluded that without additional conservation efforts, by 2050, up to 47% of the Amazon rainforest could suffer from water stress, land clearance, and climate disruption that would trigger ecosystem-wide transitions.

It’s important to act now before capybaras become endangered. As such, many conservation organizations are cashing in on the capybara’s internet fame to educate and inform the public about conservation measures, including maintaining and preserving capybara habitats, establishing protected areas, and implementing and enforcing restrictions on hunting. Working together, we can ensure that these adorable animals will continue to spread capybara joy for years to come.