A recent article in the New York Times, reporting on a newly discovered fossil site in Colorado, included drawings of two extinct mammals. One was described as the “wolf-size Eoconodons” and the other as the “capybara-size Taeniolabis.” I have a pretty good mental image of a typical wolf, but how many NYTimes readers know offhand the size of a capybara?
Upon looking it up, I learned that the capybara is the world’s largest living rodent, found only in South America. The adults weigh 75-140 pounds and stand about 24 inches at the withers. That is pretty much the size of a Bernese mountain dog or a bloodhound – or a panda or a harbor seal – any of which would have made a far more understandable reference point for the long-gone Taeniolabis.
You can see some live capybara videos after the jump.
This comment is from Ellen Wertheimer:
Referring to a fossil as the size of a capybara has a precision that referring to a wolf does not. As far as I know, there is only one species of capybara, while there are many types of wolf and they vary in size.
In any event, if the reference causes people to look up capybaras, it will enrich their knowledge of the natural world. As it happens, I knew what capybaras are, but for those who are unlucky and don't, checking out photos on line should prove delightful. Imagine a 100 pound guinea pig assembled by a committee. . . .
Posted by: Steve L. | December 10, 2019 at 11:53 AM