Capybara is angry! Why do capybaras, which are emotionally stable, fight each other?

Recently, some tourists photographed two capybaras fighting and wrestling with each other in Beijing Daxing Wildlife Park, and the scene was very intense at one point.

Picture of a large fight between capybaras. Source: Internet

After the video was leaked, netizens said that the capybara's "personality" had collapsed. What happened to the promised emotional stability? What happened to the promised Buddhist life?

Don’t be impatient, today I will take you into the “mental state” of capybara.

The spiritual comfort of the Japanese people

Capybara is native to South America and is the largest rodent in the world, weighing more than 100 kilograms. The fate of the capybara can be glimpsed from its size. Yes, the capybara, which looks like a piglet, is a definite delicacy in the eyes of the locals.

Figure 2: Groups of capybaras. Source: Giedriius

In the 1960s, Japanese scientists came to South America and discovered that capybaras were docile, easy to raise, white and plump, and had a lot of meat. So they brought the capybaras to Japan and prepared to raise them as livestock. According to normal development, the capybaras would most likely be served as delicacies on the table. However, the gears of fate changed.

During the research to verify whether capybaras could become qualified domestic animals, the Japanese also placed capybaras on display in zoos. Since these animals were from America and most Japanese had never seen them, they attracted many people to visit the zoo.

Figure 3 Capybara in a Japanese zoo. Source: linda

Unexpectedly, after the exhibition, the capybara, an animal with a big nose, small eyes and small ears, showed a state of nonchalance and leisurely enjoying the relaxation that many people can only hope for. It seemed as if many Japanese people who were in a bad mental state at the time were struck by it.

The reason may be that the Japanese are serious and abide by the rules at work, and their daily life is too stressful. Therefore, after seeing the living conditions of capybaras, they regard it as their spiritual comfort.

Figure 4 Feeding capybara. Source: linda

Since then, Japanese zoos and capybaras have been deeply connected, and many zoos have also raised capybaras, so much so that many people still think that capybaras come from Japan. However, it must be said that capybaras are deeply loved by the Japanese people for their "happy, natural and relaxed lifestyle" and have escaped the fate of becoming food.

Hot springs, so comfortable

When talking about capybaras, many people probably think of this scene first.

Figure 5 World famous painting - Capybara bathing in hot springs

Many capybaras lie prone in the hot springs, with only their nostrils, eyes and ears exposed above the water. Many grapefruits float beside them. The capybaras in this state further interpret the word "comfortable" to the extreme. Many Japanese people said, "Isn't this the state I am in when I take a hot spring bath?!"

Interestingly, the idea of ​​capybaras taking hot spring baths actually originated from an accidental discovery. In 1982, a keeper at Izu Cactus Park in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, was cleaning the capybara garden with hot water when he found a group of capybaras gathered around a small hot water pool. He then proposed to the park to prepare hot springs for the capybaras in winter.

Figure 6: Capybara taking a shower in hot water. Source: Kodomo Animal Park, Saitama Prefecture

In this way, the wonderful combination of capybara + hot springs made capybara even more popular.

Because the capybara soaking in the hot springs seems to forget all the troubles and only enjoy the present moment. Nowadays, capybaras can be seen in zoos all over Japan. In 2017, the zoo even prepared a hot spring competition for the capybaras to see which capybara can stay in the hot springs longer.

But do capybaras really like this kind of hot spring bathing, or do the Japanese just like it and therefore think that capybaras also like it?

With this question in mind, Japanese scientists also conducted research, and their research results were published in Nature magazine.

As mentioned earlier, capybaras come from South America, where the climate is hot and humid. After arriving in Japan, the temperature and humidity are obviously not as suitable as those in their hometown. In the summer, it is not so bad, with sunshine and rain, so the skin on the back of the capybara is red and black in summer, and the surface is clean and smooth.

Figure 7. Comparison of capybara skin in summer and winter. Source: research paper

But in winter, not only is the temperature low in Japan, but the air is also relatively dry, so the skin of many capybaras becomes rough and dry, and even scabs form.

From this perspective, the researchers evaluated whether the rough skin condition of capybaras was alleviated after continuous hot spring bathing in winter.

After a month-long experiment, it was found that the capybaras' originally rough and scaly skin gradually became smooth after three weeks of soaking in hot springs. Their skin color also approached the red and black color of summer, and their hair became more lustrous, indicating that the capybaras really like soaking in hot springs.

Figure 8 Skin condition after three weeks of hot spring bathing Source: Research paper

The study also found an interesting pattern: when taking a hot spring bath, the smaller the capybara's eyes become and the further back its ears lean, the more comfortable the bath is. You can pay attention to this next time you go to see a capybara taking a hot spring bath.

Figure 9: Squinting comfortably Image source: research paper

Emotionally stable, but not always

Capybaras are social animals that live in groups, with more females and a smaller number of males, and are relatively closed and stable social units. Individuals living in the same group can usually live together for several years, so everyone in the group is very leisurely, eating and sleeping, fishing and basking in the sun, and they are almost indifferent to the world and have very stable emotions.

Figure 10 Source: Wiki

Moreover, capybaras living in the same group will help each other, such as grooming each other's hair, which helps to strengthen social ties between groups. When a cub is born in the group, all females will take care of it. This behavior is also called "public care."

Not only is it stable internally, it also releases emotional value externally. It can become friends with many animals and will not get angry even if someone "rides" on its head.

Figure 11 Capybara's circle of friends. Source: Internet

These signs also make the capybara's "approachable and emotionally stable" personality deeply rooted in people's hearts.

However, as a social animal, capybaras cannot always be emotionally stable. Even Sun Wukong, who popped out from a crack in a rock, eventually learned to be tactful.

In a capybara group, there is a very obvious feature: there is a strict hierarchy among males. Usually, males with larger bodies and bigger noses dominate, and other males are subordinate.

Therefore, the mating system of capybaras is polygamous. From a fantasy perspective, the dominant male can own all the females in the group, but the reality is not the case. Although the dominant male does have more mating rights, subordinate males can also get mating opportunities. After all, there is only one "big brother" but many younger brothers.

Figure 12 Source: britannica

Of course, the "big brother" certainly doesn't want this to happen, and since the courtship of capybaras takes a long time, the "big brother" has time to interrupt the courtship and drive away the younger brother. This is also a major reason why fighting occurs within a capybara group.

In addition, there will be some social interactions between capybaras. Don’t think that they are extremely homebodies. Like other social rodents, individuals will chase and wrestle with each other.

At this point, we know that capybaras are emotionally stable most of the time, but their lives are not always Buddhist. At least when it comes to reproduction and playing, they are relatively active.

References:

Touji and Capybaras

https://japanhouse.illinois.edu/education/insights/touji-capybara

Comfortable and dermatological effects of hot spring bathing provide demonstrative insight into improvement in the rough skin of Capybaras

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-03102-4

Capybaras (Hydrochoerus spp.) Fact Sheet: Behavior & Ecology

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/capybaras/behavior

Capybara social structure and dispersal patterns: variations on a theme

https://doi.org/10.1644/09-MAMM-S-420.1

Author: Fish

Winner of the Silver Award for Outstanding Science Popularization Works of China Science Writers Association

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Editor: Dong Xiaoxian