The Capybara

You may have seen a capybara but how much do you really know about it? The Capybara is known as the “water pig” of Central and South America and tends to stay near standing water due to its extremely dry skin. This includes riverbanks, marshes, ponds, and swimming holes. It has webbed feet, which make it an exceptional swimmer! Along with having webbed feet, a capybara stands two feet tall and has long, shaggy hair. With it’s long sharp teeth, it looks like a beaver but has no tail. In fact, the Capybara is a rodent and is closely related to guinea pigs but has the same tendencies as a hippopotamus. It is the largest rodent in the world! 

    While the Capybara stays near standing water for health reasons, it also uses the water to hide from predators. It can stay underwater for up to five minutes! It is able to do this because its nose, eyes, and ears are all very close to the top of its head. “A capy can lift just those parts out of the water to learn everything it needs to know about its surroundings while the rest of its body remains hidden underwater” (San Diego Zoo). As well as hiding from predators, the Capy also swims to keep cool on hot days and to find food. Their diet typically consists of water plants and grass. An adult eats around six to eight pounds of grass a day! When they are not eating grass, they eat melons, grains, squashes, and even their own poop. When their food is too thick, they often regurgitate it to chew it some more. 

Capybaras usually live in groups of around ten but as many as forty capybaras can be found together during the wet season. This keeps them safer from predators. Capys are preyed upon by caimans, harpy eagles, anacondas, jaguars, humans, and ocelots. This species is not endangered but is constantly “threatened by deforestation, habitat destruction, and illegal poaching” (San Diego Zoo). While these animals look small, they weigh between 77 and 143 pounds and live up to about seven years. 

Educational Questions

Where do capybaras live?

What qualities do capybaras have?

How long can a capy stay underwater?

What does a capybara eat?

What preys upon capys?

What did you find surprising?

What did you find fascinating?

Resources

10 Facts About Capybaras: The World's Largest Rodents. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2020, from 

https://currumbinsanctuary.com.au/our-stories/news/10-facts-about-capybaras-worlds-lar

gest-rodents

Capybara. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2020, from 

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/capybara

Capybara. (2018, December 20). Retrieved June 2, 2020, from 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/c/cabybara-facts/

The Pacific Viperfish

    The Pacific Viperfish is a small fish that lurks in the deep water of the oceans but has been known to swim closer to the water’s surface at night. They usually grow to be around 25 centimeters, or about 10 inches, long and their silvery blue bodies resemble that of a snake (Marine Education Society of Australasia). Though it is small, the Pacific Viperfish has a large head and eyes for its body, and has extremely long, sharp teeth! Its teeth are so long that if the viperfish swam with its mouth closed, it could poke out its own eyes! 

According to Lamia Ghoneim, the Pacific Viperfish has a crazy diet - mainly consisting of plankton, shrimp, small fish, and can even eat larger fish because it has such strong jaw muscles! In order to get close to its prey, the viperfish’s back, mouth, and fins are covered in photophores. Photophores are bioluminescent bacteria that are very colorful and can glow in the dark, attracting other sea creatures to the aggressive fish. Its fangs are transparent, meaning that other fish struggle to see the sharp teeth, and the viperfish’s mouth becomes a trap.  

While the Pacific Viperfish is known to be one of the most ferocious predators of the deep sea, sharks and some species of dolphins do not find them quite as scary and eat them often. The viperfish is rarely seen by people, although are sometimes caught while deep sea fishing. Little is known about the Pacific Viperfish and their reproductive habits but some researchers believe that “the female releases eggs into the water to be fertilized. Spawning probably occurs throughout the year, although the numbers of young larvae have been discovered to be highest between January and March” (Marine Education Society of Australasia). When they are young, the viperfish are expected to fend for themselves - a fact I found extremely surprising. Most researchers believe that the average lifespan of a Pacific Viperfish is between 15 and 30 years! Though these mysterious fish are small, their qualities make them truly fascinating! 

Educational Questions

About how long is a normal Pacific Viperfish?

What color is a Viperfish?

What makes these fish glow in the dark and attract their prey?

What animals eat these fish?

How long is the average lifespan of a Pacific Viperfish?

What did you find surprising?

What did you find fascinating? 

Resources

Ghoneim, L. (2018, June 26). Monsters of the Ocean: The Grotesque Pacific

    Viperfish. Retrieved May 20, 2020, from  

     https://www.bibalex.org/SCIplanet/en/Article/Details?id=12383

Viper Fish. (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2020, from http://www.mesa.edu.au/AtoZ/Viper_fish.asp

Viper Fish are Fierce Predators. (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2020, from 

    https://www.kids-fun-science.com/viper-fish.html