The animal kingdom is full of creatures that defy simplistic Darwinian explanations.
One of them is the world’s biggest rodent capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris). It is optimally designed for swamp life – with webbed feet, and ears and eyes high on the head so it can hear and see clearly while in water.
This South American
rodent can weigh almost 80 kg (175 lbs) and have a body length of 100 – 130
centimetres (40 to 50 inches) without the very short tail, but it is no bully
and prefers to eat grasses, aquatic plants, grains, melons, and squashes.
A large number of
capybaras have been running rampant for weeks inside Nordelta, an affluent
neighbourhood north of Buenos Aires that is home to around 40,000 people.
The
capybaras have led to a war, while some people want to kill;them, some “environmental
activists have been protesting within Nordelta over the past week, many wearing
mascot-like cardboard capybara headpieces, to call for the government to
protect the capybaras and allow them to remain within their once-natural
habitat, according to La Nacion. “
Some other creatures, such as the binturong (Arctictis binturong) or bearcat, star-nosed mole, spiny anteater, platypus and the warm-blooded fish opah (Lampris guttatus), also defy Darwinian thinking.
Baker. Harry, 2021. World's largest rodents are taking over a fancy gated community in Argentina Live Science 3. September.
Posts
