Larry Woznuck, age 11, of Dallas, Texas, for his question:
Which is the largest rodent?
Rats are rodents and these no‑good characters tend to give the whole rodent family a bad name. The rat has some 6,400 cousins living throughout the world, and it is not fair to dislike them all on account of one scoundrel. The rodent family is the oldest of the mammal clans and the largest. The family name means the gnawers ‑ and every rodent has a large pair of incisors in the upper and lower jaws.
As the rodent gnaws, these teeth wear down. But they keep growing up from the roots. The teeth grow, even if the rodent does not wear them down. So the rodent must keep on gnawing to stay alive ‑ otherwise his teeth would grow right through the opposite jaw bone and nail his mouth shut.
Rodents vary from the soft furry chinchilla to the prickly porcupine, from the burrowing pocket gopher to the tree climbing squirrel, from the fat lazy guinea pig to the busy beavers. As mammals, the rodents are smallish animals. Not one of them is as big as say, a sheep dog.
The largest rodent of North America is the busy beaver. This fellow is a beauty and his character references are excellent. Our biggest beaver enjoys life in the waterways of the Western Rockies. He is about a yard long, including a foot long tail. He may tip the scales at 60 pounds or more. The larger he is, the older he is. For a beaver goes on growing all his life. In the Ice Ages, certain beavers grew seven feet long. But our Mr. Beaver is only the second largest of the rodent family.
The largest rodent is a native of South America. He is the capybara, or Giant Water Guinea Pig who enjoys life near the Orinoco and other rivers of the Amazon system. Full grown, the capybara stands 21 inches at shoulder level, is four feet long and weighs over 100 pounds. If this rodent had a ratty character he would certainly be a menace.
Fortunately for everybody, the capybara is a gentle creature. What’s more is that he is a strict vegetarian. His favorite dirt is water weeds and he prefers to run away from a fight. He keeps his rodent teeth honed on tough grasses and shrubs. After dinner, he enjoys a sunbath. Like certain cats, the capybara shows when he feels happy. True, he cannot purr, but when contented he makes a low clicking noise.
In appearance, the capybara resembles an over‑grown guinea pig. He has the same long face, round nose and sleepy expression. However, when he senses a prowling jaguar or cougar he is very alert. Up he leaps and dives into the water. His back feet are slightly webbed and he is a splendid swimmer.
The capybara enjoys a happy family life. Mom, Pop and four to eight children stay together until the youngsters arc fully grown, even though they can fend for themselves almost from birth.
The beaver and the capybara are both hunted by man ‑ the beaver for his fur, the capybara for his meat. Mr. Beaver now has the law on his side to protect him. But the giant of the rodent family, Mr. Capybara, rarely lives to reach the age of ten.