Are Capybara the world's biggest rodents?

Summary

Who Smarted? Podcast Summary

Episode: Are Capybara the world's biggest rodents?

Release Date: October 6, 2025
Host: Trusty Narrator (Atomic Entertainment / Starglow Media)
Guest: Capybara (voiced character)

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Who Smarted?" centers on the capybara, the world’s largest rodent, unraveling fun facts, biology, and behavior—all through a playful conversation between the trusted narrator and a capybara character. With its trademark blend of humor and information, the episode dives deep (and sometimes literally) into the capybara’s watery world, comparing them to pirates, guinea pigs, and even friends at the zoo.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meet Capybara: Not a Pirate, But a Rodent

• Opening Mix-up: The "trusty narrator" goes searching for "Captain Barry," only to realize it was a misunderstanding—he was actually meeting a "capybara!"
• Main Fact: Capybaras are the largest rodent species in the world.
  • “Capybaras are part of the rodent species.” (A, 01:57)

2. Capybara Size and Appearance

• Size Stats:
  • Can weigh up to 175 pounds (79 kg)
  • Over 2ft (0.6 meters) tall—about the size of or larger than a Labrador retriever.
• Comparison: “No offense, but you kind of look like a giant guinea pig. Which is only the cutest thing ever.” (A, 02:43)
• Family Tree: Related to guinea pigs, hamsters, and beavers.

3. Anatomy and Adaptations

• No Tails:
• Eyes, ears, noses: Positioned at the top of the head for aquatic life.
• Fur: Soft, brown, sometimes reddish or gray.
• Webbed Feet: Aid in swimming.
  • “Our partly webbed feet work like flippers, helping us swim.” (C, 06:47)
• Breath Holding: Can hold breath underwater for five minutes.

4. Where Capybaras Live

• Habitat:
  • Native to almost all of South America (except Chile) and parts of Central America.
  • Also found in some parts of Florida.
• Climate Preference: Thrive in rainforests, love water, and are semi-aquatic.

5. Capybara Behavior

• Swimming: Excellent swimmers, use water to keep cool.
• Speed:
  • “We can run up to 22 miles per hour. That's almost as fast as a car driving through a neighborhood.” (C, 07:40)
• Social Structure:
  • Live in herds, usually up to 20, but sometimes up to 100 in dry times.

6. Diet and Digestion

• What They Eat: Grasses (vegetarian)
• How Much: Eat up to 8 pounds of food daily.
• Digestive Quirk:
  • Eat their own poop to digest food twice and get more nourishment.
    • “Yeah. Sorry, Trusty, but just like other rodents, we capybaras eat our poop so we can digest our food twice. Ew.” (C, 09:42)

7. Capybara Babies and Communication

• Babies Called: Pups
• Birth Weight: About 3 pounds; can grow to 88 pounds at 18 weeks.
• Sounds: Bark, chirp, growl, yelp, purr, and ear-twitching for silent signals.
  • “We also yelp, chirp, growl, and purr. Sometimes we even sound like birds.” (C, 14:44)
• Warning Bark: Used to warn herd and scare predators.

8. Capybara & Predators

• Major Predators: Caiman, crocodiles, jaguars, anacondas.
• Eyes Placement Rhyme:
  • "Eyes on the side they hide. Eyes in the front they hunt." (A, 14:33)

9. Capybaras & Other Animals

• Friendliness: Get along with many animals; sometimes called the friendliest wild animal.
• Famous for: Letting smaller animals ride on their backs.
  • “Sometimes we even let smaller animals sit on us and take them for a ride.” (C, 15:15)

10. Mud Baths and Sun Protection

• Wallowing in Mud: Keeps them cool and protects from sunburn due to their thin fur.
  • “Capybaras love wallowing in mud because, just like sitting in water, it keeps us cool. And... it also keeps us from getting sunburns.” (C, 15:40)

11. Capybaras as Pets?

• Possible but Challenging:
  • Legal in some places, but require lots of care (food, space, swimming water).
  • Can bite if threatened.
  • “While some people do keep capybaras as pets… we’re not easy to care for since we need a lot of food and a place to swim.” (C, 16:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Misunderstanding leads to the topic:
  • “Maybe they said capybara and I heard Captain Barry. I did say I had lousy cell phone reception.” (A, 01:57)
• On Appearance:
  • “No offense, but you kind of look like a giant guinea pig.” (A, 02:43)
  • “We’re related to guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and all the rodents you met on the rodents episode of Who Smarted, which somehow failed to mention me.” (C, 02:50)
• Bathroom habits:
  • “Yeah. Sorry, Trusty, but just like other rodents, we capybaras eat our poop so we can digest our food twice.” (C, 09:42)
• On Petting:
  • “And some zoos even let you pet and feed us. And you know how much capybaras like to eat.” (C, 17:03)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:57 – What is a capybara? Largest rodent explained.
• 02:21 – Size comparison to dogs and guinea pigs.
• 03:28 – Fun facts teased: habitat, diet, friendliness.
• 05:04 – Capybara describes its appearance and features.
• 06:05 – Capybara habitat and world locations.
• 06:47 – Webbed feet and swimming skills.
• 07:40 – Capybara running speed.
• 08:28 – Social groups (herds) explained.
• 09:02 – Daily diet and what they eat.
• 09:42 – Coprophagy (eating poop) explained.
• 13:06 – Baby capybaras are called pups.
• 14:33 – “Eyes on the side they hide, eyes in the front they hunt.”
• 14:44 – Capybara communication: sounds and ear twitching.
• 15:15 – Friendliest wild animal: animals riding on capybaras.
• 15:40 – Mud baths as natural sunscreen.
• 16:13 – Capybara as a pet: caution and care requirements.
• 17:03 – Capybaras in zoos; feeding and interacting.

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Final Thoughts & Tone

• The episode is packed with energy, playful banter, animal facts, and interactive trivia.
• The capybara is presented as relatable, friendly, and slightly sassy—a real character kids will remember.
• The host and guest maintain a child-friendly, curious tone, never shying from "ew!" moments while bringing science and animal behavior to life.

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Bottom Line

This “Who Smarted?” episode skillfully answers the question “Are capybaras the world’s biggest rodents?”—and so much more—leaving listeners with an unforgettable portrait of these gentle, quirky giants and their watery way of life.

Transcript

[A]

And now it's time for who, smarty? Hey, smarty pants. I'm pretty excited because today I'm meeting a new friend named Captain Barry. Or at least I think that's what they said on the phone. I wasn't getting good reception, and I was in a noisy room. Anyway, he described himself as large, hairy, and he said he likes to spend a lot of time in or near the water. Hmm. Captain Barry loves the water is large and hairy. You thinking what I'm thinking? Could Captain Barry be a pirate? ARR. Well, it wouldn't be the first time we had a pirate on who's Smarted? There was the earthquakes episode and the pirates episode, of course. ARR. Oh, look. I mean, listen. I spot some pirates sitting over yonder. Maybe one of them is Captain Barry. Come on. Hi, excuse me. I'm the trusty narrator. I'm looking for Captain. Captain Barry. Would you be he.

[B]

ARR. The names Redbeard and that be Bluebeard and Yellowbeard and a Long John Silverbeard.

[A]

I see. Sorry to bother you. Hmm. I wonder where Captain Barry be. I mean, is.

[C]

Excuse me, are you the trusty narrator?

[A]

Why, yes, I am. You're not Captain Barry, are you?

[C]

No.

[A]

Yeah, I didn't think so. And while you are large and hairy and hanging out by the water, you clearly aren't a pirate. You're not wearing a pirate hat or have a hook hand or even an eyepatch. But you do have adorable whiskers.

[C]

Um, what makes you sure you're meeting a pirate?

[A]

Because I'm supposed to meet Captain Barry. And while that might not be as piratey sounding as red, blue, yellow, or silverbeard, it still sounds pirate.

[C]

Like, well, I'm supposed to meet the trusty narrator here, and I'm a capybara.

[A]

A capybara. A capybara. Hmm. Maybe they said capybara and I heard Captain Barry. I did say I had lousy cell phone reception. But wait, smarty pants. What is a capybara? Is it A, a pirate in disguise, B, a type of whale, or C, a type of rodent? The answer is C. Capybaras are part of the rodent species.

[C]

In fact, we're the largest of all the rodent species. We can weigh up to 175 pounds and grow over 2ft or 0.6 meters tall. Much bigger than the largest rodent in North America, the beaver. We're about the same size or bigger than a Labrador retriever.

[A]

Wow. No offense, but you kind of look like a giant guinea pig. Which is only the cutest thing ever.

[C]

No offense taken. We're related to guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and all the rodents you met on the rodents episode of who Smarted, which somehow failed to mention me.

[A]

Sorry, it's only a 15 minute show. But look, now you have your own episode. And we get to learn all kinds of fun things about capybaras. Like where do capybaras live? What do capybaras do in the water? What do capybaras eat? And are capybaras friendly when you're not offending them by omitting them from a rodents episode? It's time for another whiff of science on who Smarted.

[B]

Who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science or history? Listen up everyone. We make smarting lots of fun. But who's smart? And.

[A]

You know, when I was a.

[D]

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[A]

I'm here in the rainforest with my friend Captain Barry. I mean, capybara. Like I said, you kind of look like a giant guinea pig, but maybe can you describe yourself so the smarty pants can get a full picture of what you look like?

[C]

Well, as you heard, we're very large. We're covered in soft, luxurious brown hair. But some capybaras can be reddish or gray.

[A]

Ooh, like Redbeard and Long John Silverbeard.

[C]

Who?

[A]

Never mind. Please continue.

[C]

Capybaras have no tails. Our eyes, ears and noses are near the tops of our heads, so they're easy to keep out of the water. When we swim, our ears look like mouse ears. We're also kind of like hippos because we love swimming and eating grass.

[A]

And where do capybaras like to live?

[C]

Well, capybaras are semi aquatic. That means we spend a lot of time in the water, but we also love to eat plants.

[A]

Ooh, smarty pants. Knowing that, where would be a good place for capybaras to live? Would it be the arctic, the desert, or the rainforest? Did you say the rainforest?

[C]

Yep. We can find lots of food and water in the rainforest. You can find capybaras in every country of South America except Chile. And in some parts of Central America. There's also a small population of capybaras in Florida.

[A]

Interesting. So as a water mammal, you must be a pretty good swimmer.

[C]

No, we're great swimmers. That's because we have something on our bodies that helps us swim.

[A]

Smarty pants, what do capybaras have to help them swim? Is it A, webbed feet, B, fins, or C, floaties? While a capybara would look adorable in floaties, the answer is A, webbed feet.

[C]

Our partly webbed feet work like flippers, helping us swim. We're also excellent divers, and we can hold our breath for five minutes.

[A]

Wow, that's about five times longer than me. What about you, smarty pants? Yeah, there's no way. But I don't understand. Many rodents like mice and rats are not known to swim. So why do you like the water so much?

[C]

Well, like I said, we're also related to beavers, who are also water lovers. But we mostly sit in the water to stay cool. Being so big and hairy means needing to cool down and get comfy. But we don't spend all of our time in the water. We're actually pretty quick on land.

[A]

Really?

[C]

Oh, yeah. We can run up to 22 miles per hour. That's almost as fast as a car driving through a neighborhood.

[A]

Wow. Please don't take this the wrong way, but you're a lot faster than you look.

[C]

I get it. With our big bodies and short legs, we look kind of clumsy. So you probably expected us to move slowly. And we do like to take nice slow walks in groups over land we call our territory.

[A]

Speaking of groups, smartypants, what do you call a group of capybaras living together? Is it, A, a crew, b, a herd, or C, a berry? If you said a herd, nice job. But how many capybaras live in a herd?

[C]

We usually Live in groups of up to 20. But when herds share water, like in dry times, there might be 100 capybaras living together.

[A]

Whoa. That's a lot of cuteness in one place.

[C]

Say, Trusty, you don't mind if I took a quick plant break?

[A]

Be my guest. Great, Smarty pants. How much food do you think capybaras can eat in a day? Is it five, eight or ten pounds? If you said eight pounds, you're right.

[C]

Yep. The largest rodents are also big eaters. We might stay up all night eating. Grasses are probably our favorite food. But all that fiber can be hard to digest. So there's something else capybaras have to eat.

[A]

Let's see if me and the smarty pants can guess. Um, pizza? No. No. Ice cream? Nah.

[C]

Oh, how about meat cake? Oh, no. We're strict vegetarians.

[A]

Hmm. I don't know. Me and the smarty pants give up.

[C]

Here, I'll show you.

[A]

Oh, boy. Did you just eat your poop?

[C]

Yeah. Sorry, Trusty, but just like other rodents, we capybaras eat our poop so we can digest our food twice. Ew.

[A]

Well, while that may sound disgusting to humans, if it's what you have to do to stay healthy, who am I to judge? But maybe you could do that when I'm not around.

[C]

Sure thing, trusty. There's nothing cute about eating poop.

[A]

Moving on.

[C]

Say, if you think adult capybaras are cute, you should see us as babies. In fact, do you know what baby capybaras are called?

[A]

Kappa babies?

[C]

No.

[A]

Well, hold that thought. We'll learn all about baby capybaras right after this quick break.

[D]

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[A]

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[D]

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[B]

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[A]

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[A]

Now back to who's Smarted? I'm with Captain Barry. I mean, a capybara, and they were just telling us about cute, adorable kappa babies.

[C]

That's not what they're called.

[A]

Right, right, right. So what are baby capybaras called? Are they A piglets, B kitties, or C pups? The answer is pups. Aw, so cute and small.

[C]

Yep, newborn capybaras only weigh about three pounds. That's just a bit more than an adult guinea pig, who of course we're related to. But we grow quickly and by the time a capybara is 18 weeks old, it can weigh 88 pounds.

[A]

They grow up so fast. Whoa. What's that barking? Are those pups or puppies?

[C]

Nope. Capybaras bark as a warning sound when we spot a predator. In this case, I spotted a caiman, which is an alligator like animal that likes to hunt capybaras.

[D]

I see.

[A]

Well, it looks like the caiman got the hint because it swam away.

[C]

Oh good. Even though we're big, we we are still prey for other Animals, crocodiles, jaguars, and anacondas are our biggest predators in the rainforest.

[A]

Ah, I see. Smarty pants. Did you know you can tell if an animal is a prey animal or a hunter by where their eyes are placed? There's even a little rhyme to help you remember. It goes, eyes on the side they hide. Eyes in the front they hunt.

[C]

Ooh, that's good to know, Trusty. Now I know I don't have to worry about any animal giving me side eye, right?

[A]

So is barking how capybara communicate?

[C]

Yes, but we also yelp, chirp, growl, and purr. Sometimes we even sound like birds. We can also twitch our ears as a silent signal that something's not right.

[A]

That's pretty smart. I have to say, it's been really nice hanging out with you, capybara. Are all capybara as friendly as you?

[C]

Oh, yeah. Aside from our predators, we get along well with many other animals. In fact, we're sometimes called the friendliest wild animal in the world. Sometimes we even let smaller animals sit on us and take them for a ride.

[A]

Oh, my goodness. This is just a cuteness overload. I can't stand how adorable this all is. Um, did you just flop into a giant mud puddle and get disgustingly dirty? And are you now rolling around in the mud, splattering it everywhere, like, all over me?

[C]

Sorry. Trusty capybaras love wallowing in mud because, just like sitting in water, it keeps us cool. And since we don't use sunscreen, it also keeps us from getting sunburns. Our fur is thin and doesn't offer a lot of protection. Think of the modest nature sunscreen, Right?

[A]

Well, hopefully I won't get sunburned either. Now, last question, smartypants. True or false? In some places, capybaras can be kept as pets.

[C]

The answer, surprisingly, is true. However, while some people do keep capybaras as pets, there's some things you should know before you adopt one. Capybaras are highly intelligent and sensitive and usually get along well with people and other animals. But we're not easy to care for since we need a lot of food and a place to swim. And while we're usually very friendly, like most wild animals, if provoked or threatened, we may bite.

[D]

Yeah, I'm gonna say it's probably a.

[A]

Better idea to visit capybaras at the zoo than have one as pets. Many zoos in the United States have capybaras, smarty pants. I highly advise going to check them out. They're so cute.

[C]

And some zoos even let you pet and feed us. And you know how much capybaras like to eat.

[A]

Same with trusty narrators. Should we grab some lunch?

[B]

Whoa.

[C]

Does anyone want meat cake?

[B]

No.

[A]

A super shout out to Luna in Seattle, Washington. You wrote to tell us that who Smarted is funny? Yep, that's exactly what we're going for.

[D]

Thanks for laughing and learning with us, Luna.

[A]

This episode, Capybaras was written by Sara Sweetiek and voiced by Kappa Saraswetic, Adam, Tex Davis and Jerry Colber. Technical direction and sound design by Jerry Josh Han who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room studios. Our associate producer is Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.

[E]

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