Inspired by the naked mole rat (which is really not cute at all), I started looking into other members of the rodent order that might be unfamiliar to people in the U.S. Rodents sort of tend to be either/or in the cuteness department, as we view them either as pests (mice, rats, squirrels that actually try to touch you) or as adorable little shnookums (mice and rats in controlled environments, squirrels that keep a polite distance, beavers actively engaged in chewing on things, etc.) There’s a big wide world of rodents out there, so join me. Today we look at the rodents of South America.

Giant rat-squirrels

You don’t need me to tell you that capybaras, the world’s largest rodent species, are adorable.

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