Trivia question for Feb-09-2011

Carter’s turn tonight and he picked one with a few peculiar facts, so here goes:  In their homeland, commercial farming for their meat and skin is allowed, which has actually reduced the pressures of possible extinction.  At the first sign of danger, these guys dive underwater for cover.

Very vocal, unlike most rodents, it actually purrs when feeding and they bark loudly when in danger.  These guys are herbivores and will snack both on land, as well as in the water,

So here’s our questions; Can you tell us one interesting fact about these rodents and also tell us what their name means?

Good luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to both Natalie and John for being the first with the correct answer.   We especially like Natalie’s definition of the name Capybara which was “master of the grasses”.   What we found was that the name means “Water-Pig” which is the name given to these guys by the first naturalists to visit South America.   Another interesting fact about these guys is that they are officially the Largest Rodents in the world.

Here is more information on these fat rats: Capybara

Thanks for playing along 😉