Capybaras are cute, even though they eat their own poop

The capybara is basically a giant guinea pig that can grow to up to 140 pounds on a diet of grass — and its own poop. These social, almost cow-like creatures are native to South America, where they spend their lives moving back and forth between grasslands and water. Capybara voyeur Elizabeth Congdon, a scientist at Bethune-Cookman University, tells The Verge why capybaras are fascinating to study in the wild — and why we shouldn't get one as a pet.

For the largest rodent in the world, the capybara is surprisingly chill. Just ask any of the animals that have ever sat on one. So when we heard that these outsized South American rodents had made their way to Florida, we had mixed feelings. On the one hand, the nutria — another adorable...