The writer of this product description (hi, hello, good to meet you) loves rats. As a matter of fact, I’ve had pet rats for years now. They’re smart, loving, cute, and surprisingly clean animals despite their reputation. Pretty much pocket puppies. Why am I telling you this? Because capybaras are essentially the mega ultra king-sized version of rats, and therefore, obviously, I love them too.

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) holds the distinction of being the largest living rodent in the world. Native to South America, these highly social, semi-aquatic animals spend much of their time around rivers, wetlands, and other bodies of water, mostly swimming, lounging around, and being cute.

Built a bit like an oversized guinea pig, capybaras are excellent swimmers, with partially webbed feet that help them navigate their watery habitats. They live in social groups and are well known for their remarkably laid-back demeanor. Basically, they’re giant, aquatic, extremely chill rodents. What’s not to love?

This full-body taxidermy mount was originally part of a private collection. The specimen was a captive-raised animal and was not collected from the wild. It’s just as cute as it looks in the photos, and maybe even more so in real life. I can’t even begin to explain the amount of self-control it took not to outright buy this piece once it came into the shop. My loss and your gain, really.