Tale of the Tape: Asian Carp Vs. Capybara
By Staff in News on Aug 19, 2011 1:30PM
Picture the world’s largest rodent scurrying through a wastewater treatment plant in central California, and you might think of some sort of mutant rat. The beast — a capybara — is actually much cuter. It even has its own Twitter account.
Officials in Paso Robles, CA, where the animal was first sighted in July, seem to agree on some level, as they’re backing away on earlier plans to trap the harmless, if strange animal.
We’re a bit jealous of these West Coasters and their easy-going invaders. Our own exotic species of note, Asian carp, have been disrupting our aquatic ecosystems in the Midwest long enough to inspire their own fishing tournament and carp hunting tours in Peoria.
So how does Paso Robles’ pioneering capybara stack up to the bane of the greater Great Lakes?
Scientific Name: Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, H. nobilis
Maximum Weight: About 100 pounds
Diet: Mostly plankton
Nicknames: Kentucky Tuna, Silverfin, Shanghai Bass
Unnatural Predators: Electric barriers, physical barriers, commercial fishermen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, bowfishers.
Capybara
Scientific Name: Hydrochoeros hydrochoerus
Maximum Weight: Over 200 pounds
Diet: Aquatic plants, fruit, bark
Nicknames: Master of the grasses, Water pig, Fish (according to the Vatican).
Unnatural Predators: For now, none.
Unless the capybara — likely an illegal pet released into the wild, officials say — is scouting the sunny central Californian turf in preparation for a full-fledged offensive, he or she is little threat to Paso Roblians or their coastal chaparral environment.
Unfortunately we have to award ourselves the dubious distinction of “worst infestation,” at least for now.
— Chris Bentley