The Animal Gazette

One animal a month, researched probably too much, but why not?

This Month's SpecimenThe Capybara / Caviidae
Capybara resting in water

Fig. 1: Capybara resting in water. When not in the water, it is usually found near the water.

Issue No. 2: Capybaras

A hundred-pound rodent of exceptional chill.

The world's largest living rodent is a guinea pig scaled up to the size of a golden retriever and stripped of all natural anxiety. Its defence against jaguars is to walk into the nearest river and sink. The Vatican, for its part, decided it was a fish.

"Somewhere in Venezuela, a hundred-pound rodent is peacefully sinking to the bottom of a river because it cannot be bothered to run away."

Read issue No. 2

The statsData as of 1 Oct. 2026
2
Species Covered
13
Sources Cited
1
Staff Members
0
Ads Sold
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The Format

Focusing entirely on one animal per issue gives us enough room to skip the basic trivia and find the genuinely strange stuff.

Who makes it

Just me. I don't have a background in biology, I just have a lot of patience for reading through academic journals so you don't have to.

How to get it

Drop your email in the box. It goes out once a month, it doesn't cost anything, and I'll never send you anything else.

Subscriptions Desk

Twelve animals a year. At least one fact that will make you say, "Wait, what?"