10
Mighty Rodent
The capybara is a large rodent that can grow up to 4 feet, 4 inches
(1.34 m) long. Fortunately you’re unlikely to meet it beause it
lives in the Amazon rainforests. Now can you imagine a capybara
relative as big as a buffalo—the largest rodent ever? It went by the
name
Josephoartigasia,
and it used its huge incisor teeth with the
same force as a tiger. It’s really the last thing you’d want to see in
the garden . . .
At the moment at least, these
Josephoartigasia
seem happy
rooting around the trash and having a relaxing swim in the pool.
But it won’t be long before they are inside the house. Rodents can
chew their way through brick, wood, concrete, and even a 0.4-inch-
thick (1 centimeter) sheet of metal. So just imagine how easily
Josephoartigasia
could break into a house with those incisors!
Josephoartigasia
PRONOUNCED
Joe-SEPH-oh-artig-
AH-see-ah
LIVED
South America,
4 million–2 million
years ago
LENGTH
10 feet (3 m)
WEIGHT
2,200 pounds
(1,000 kilograms)
Josephoartigasia
big head
Josephoartigasia
’s
skull was 21 inches
(53 cm) long—much
bigger than a lion’s or
tiger’s. And its incisor
teeth measured 12
inches (30 cm)!
