World's Largest Species of Rodent Gives Birth at a British Zoo and The Result is Adorable

By Inside Edition

Updated: 2:28 PM PST, November 6, 2015

A baby capybara was born at Chester Zoo on October 19 and, two weeks on, the youngster can already walk and swim.

The world's largest species of rodent has given birth at a British zoo.

A baby capybara was born at Chester Zoo on October 19 and, two weeks on, the youngster can already walk and swim.

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But it still has a lot more growing to do; the creatures, which come from South America, can grow up to nearly five feet in length.

"Our new arrival is tiny and can barely be seen above the grass when it follows mum on adventures across the paddock," said Dr Nick Davis, assistant curator of mammals. "It only weighs a few hundred grams at the moment but, in time, it’ll grow into a really chunky rodent."

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Capybaras in the wild are hunted and poached for their meat and skin "so it's important that our new arrival helps us raise the profile of this often overlooked species," he said.

Zoo staff have not yet determined the baby capybara's gender.

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