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Capybaras sound just like laser beams, and here's proof! [1]

['Jennifer Sandlin']

Date: 2025-07-11

Today is Capybara Appreciation Day, so I sure hope you're spending sufficient time appreciating the world's largest and most wonderful rodent. For me, pretty much every day is capybara appreciation day, so I've just spent a little more time than usual today celebrating the gentle and awesome capybara — easily one of my absolute favorite animals on the planet. We're huge capybara fans here at Boing Boing and have written a lot about them over the years. But one thing I don't think we've shared yet is this fun fact: capybaras sound just like laser beams!

Don't believe me? Well, you will after you hear this video of Cheesecake, a wonderful capybara who lives in Florida at Dark Wings Wildlife, an educational organization based in Florida that runs a small animal ambassador program that, they explain, is "dedicated to educating the public about misunderstood species."

Is Cheesecake really making laser beam noises? Well, not really, but it sure sounds like it, right? Capybara Nation explains that capybaras make lots of different noises or vocalizations, including barking, chirping, whistling, purring, clicking, grunting, and more. The "laser beam" sounds Cheesecake is making are actually the sounds of chirping, purring, and clicking. Capybara Nation states that capybaras chirp "during times of mild excitement or during social interactions" and they purr contentedly when they are peaceful, happy, relaxed, and comfortable. They also use a gentle, rhythmic clicking sound when they are socializing: "This soft noise usually occurs during close contact, such as during mutual grooming, and helps affirm trust and friendship within the group."

I could listen to Cheesecake happily chirping, purring, and clicking — and sounding just like a laser beam — all day. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

International Days provides a nice overview of the capybara, if for some reason you still don't know much about the glorious creature that deserves our admiration 24/7/365:

July 10th is Capybara Appreciation Day. It honors the largest rodent in the world, twice as big as a beaver! The capybara is known for its love for water and pig-shaped body adapted to live in water found in forests, flooded savannas, and wetlands. Fun fact about this herbivore mammal: this rodent eats its own feces in the morning when the poo is particularly rich in protein. To be more precise, it allows them to digest twice hard grasses. Commonly found in the Americas, capybaras populations are considered stable, even though they have been hunted down for their skin, resulting in wiping out some local populations.

See more of Cheesecake and other animal ambassadors at Dark Wings Wildlife's YouTube or Instagram.

Previously:

• I met the world's perfect mammal at a reptile sanctuary

• Jimmy Fallon feeds corn to a capybara

• These new baby capybara triplets are adorable!

• Listen to the full version of the viral 'capybara' song, created by a 22-year-old Russian blogger

• The San Diego Zoo's tapir makes some new capybara friends

• Adorable non-capybara on the loose in Colorado

• Adorable non-capybara on the loose in Colorado

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2025/07/11/capybaras-sound-just-like-laser-beams-and-heres-proof.html

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