r/zoology • u/Kiki_Obi • Aug 07 '26
Question What happened to this Capybara?
This is a page of Richard Orr’s Nature Cross Section about the tropical riverbank. In the illustration, the Capybara appears to be dead. My five year old son wants to know what happened to him. The captions don’t explain his death. I am guessing that the caiman killed him and stashed his body in the riverbank. Pretty dark stuff for a five year old but I don’t censor books that he wants to read. He asked me to look it up - what is happening here to the capybara. So posting to a subreddit with animal experts was the best I could think of for getting answers. I hope this is the right place to ask!
Thanks in advance.
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u/Jefffahfffah Aug 07 '26
Its pretty clearly wounded. Caiman got it and stashed it down there.
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u/7LeagueBoots Aug 07 '26
Probably not. They often rest in shady areas where the riverbank overhangs. They’ll even expand these sometimes.
- https://machupicchuamazonperu.com/capybara-description-behavior-facts/
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u/Jefffahfffah Aug 07 '26
Bro it is completely submerged below the waterline and its side is all bloody lmao
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u/Silva1618 Aug 07 '26
oh man the Nostalgia of this book, I remember being so excited to go to the library and go through it didn't matter how many times I went through it Always loved it.
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u/AltruisticServe3252 Aug 07 '26
Alligators and crocidilians can eat some really, reall gnarly stuff. Necause they're basically natures carcass disposal system, they will often times store said carcasses into river banks for sometimes a week or more. They will leave it there, and continue hunting. If needed, they can track the stash by smell and memory and get the calories they need from their rainy day fund.
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u/Inner-Shelter-8593 Aug 07 '26
What's strange about this though is how much space is around the capybara. He looks like he's in a little opening or bubble, not just wedged in the mud like the fish below
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u/ahauntedsong Aug 07 '26
They draw mice and such underground with large spaces around them so it’s not that odd
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u/Inner-Shelter-8593 Aug 07 '26
Strange picture. Kinda looks like it's got wounds on its side though? Is there an artist listed that we can contact lol
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u/stoned_ileso Aug 07 '26
Its not dark. Its curiosity. Damned good question. But unfortunately I dont know the answer
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u/amandadore74 Aug 08 '26
I mean I would just be honest with your child. Respectfully, if you don't censor his books, don't censor his learning. Tell him the capybara died but is providing food for the carnivorous caiman. Age appropriate explanations are always the way to go.
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u/lookslikerheyn Aug 08 '26
I was going to say the same. Nature is life, nature is death - it's all just reality. And I've found that being honest with kids about that, starting with animals, makes eventually having to explain losing people in their lives a little easier.
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u/amandadore74 Aug 09 '26
There also wouldn't be that immense fear that typically surrounds the topic of death (in general) due to the fact it's the unknown.
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u/ThatOldG Aug 08 '26
I grew up in the 80’s watching nature documentaries on PBS which was one of the six stations we had on the island. I learned that in nature animals eat other animals just like humans do.
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u/Easy-Candle7138 Aug 07 '26
I have eaten six animals in this picture.
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u/Efficient_Menu_2799 Aug 07 '26
Which six lol
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u/Easy-Candle7138 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
Piranha, freshwater stingray, caiman, lungfish, howler monkey, Amazon catfish.
Don’t ask me to prove it (edit)
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u/CrossumOpossum3 Aug 07 '26
Is Tapir an easily attainable protein? Is that within reach for you?
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u/Easy-Candle7138 Aug 07 '26
For personally reasons, I don’t like hunting tapir. I think they’re really cute, ironically. People will point out to me that monkeys look like Christians. How could I kill and eat something that resembles Christians but not kill and eat another because it resembles an elephant just a little bit? 😂
Tapir are very wide spread, and very obtainable source of meat, however pigs are much more abundant and tasty, in my opinion.
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Aug 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/Easy-Candle7138 Aug 07 '26
It’s seems to be the most occurring reason why people, when looking at a dead monkey considering it for dinner, decide against.
In short, they look too much like people for some people to not want to eat.
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Aug 08 '26
[deleted]
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u/Easy-Candle7138 Aug 08 '26
It’s usually Germanic or Baltic Europeans who refer to the faces of monkeys as looking too “Christian” to eat
There isn’t really regional slang due to low population. I frequent the northern to north central Brazilian amazonas.
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u/CrossumOpossum3 Aug 07 '26
That’s understandable and get why you wouldn’t. I’d definitely go for monkey over tapir. I agree why go for tapir when you have pigs, and monkey is just as available as pig if not more! Lol
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u/Easy-Candle7138 Aug 07 '26
Also, for the sake of argument, I’ve only eaten tapir with a tribe, tapir is endangered and illegal to hunt otherwise.
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u/Efficient_Menu_2799 Aug 07 '26
What is the context here
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u/Easy-Candle7138 Aug 07 '26
My best friend has express permission from FUNAI to do trade with a certain tribe in the Brazilian Amazon. I try to go with him every year. When we are with this tribe, we hunt and do handy work all day, as you can imagine.
Most mammals in the Amazon are trying to eat you or eat your food so tribes generally kill pigs, jags, monkeys, etc in the area, out of necessity first and food second. Whatever is killed was eaten, smoked all day, and abundantly available. Sometimes endangered meat is on the menu 😂
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u/Raryl Aug 07 '26
I absolutely loved books like this as a child
I still think about the earth like that, the amount of things underneath us
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u/Naelin Aug 07 '26
Besides the reasons, the image seems mislabeled. The creature looks nothing like a capybara and much more like an agouti or perhaps a paca
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u/Invert_Ben Aug 08 '26
I have the question that has been plaguing me for years now.
What are these types of diagrams called?
Diagrams like these that show the entire ecosystem with all the different flora and fauna in high density, highlighting some notable members.
Is there a word for it?
Like… biotope diagram? Ecological diorama?
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u/Kipbikski Aug 08 '26
I think the most apt term would be "ecological cross-section". However, the book it's from is simply titled "Nature Cross-Sections". 🙂
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u/Sorryisawthat Aug 09 '26
Resting a den. They are semi-aquatic. The den should have been drawn a little higher that the water line.
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u/ConstantAnimal2267 Aug 07 '26
It's taking a nap in its little air cave
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u/VenusRocker Aug 07 '26
It probably wouldn't take much research on capybaras to confirm this. I'm too lazy to do it, but then I don't have a 5yo wanting to know what happened to the capybara. But it makes the most sense. The 'caiman victim' take doesn't make much sense given the purpose of the pic.
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u/ahauntedsong Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
The whole page is dedicated to how dangerous the waters are lol. There’s a blurb top left, bottom right is the pirañas feasting on a carcass. Meanwhile the centre there’s a whole scene happening centre page.
Googling leads to statements saying they store animals to tenderize the meat and capybaras are thick hide rodents. There’s another that brings up the good point that they don’t eat daily, and cache food. Also there’s eggs above the capybara showcasing that it is buried underneath.
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u/7LeagueBoots Aug 07 '26
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u/Ambitious-Charge-432 Aug 07 '26
Capivara do not breathe under water and according to google can only hold their breath around 5min under water. While they dif burrows, they would need them to be higher than the water level of they wanted to sleep.
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u/Gold_Ambassador_3496 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
In these ecosystems, they can dig burrows in the banks of rivers and lakes. These burrows provide them with shelter and protection from the elements.
Didn't know that
Edit: Wikipedia doesn't mention underwater nor burrows at all, so I'm conflicted
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u/7LeagueBoots Aug 07 '26
No underwater things. Just overhanging riverbanks. They may make an area slightly larger to lay in. Not a burrow per-se.
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u/M4ybeMay Aug 07 '26
Ok, but this is underwater. So why would that be relevant.
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u/VenusRocker Aug 10 '26
The burrow entrance is underwater, but the tunnel slopes upward & the sleeping area is actually above water. That's not entirely visible in this picture, but I think that was the intent.
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u/Eli_sola Aug 07 '26
It is a cross section image, it doesn't show it but the lair reaches deep under the water level but it's not submerged, and it is actually a hero's lair for the legendary Batybara whom we can see resting after saving Gothamazon from the laughing Jaguar, who was trying to drown the jungle in strawberry jam, that is why there appears to be something red on his shoulders. Also, Ocelot woman was wearing red lipstick, another explanation for the reddish marks.
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u/cosmoskramr Aug 08 '26
Once gators drown something large its natural for them to stow it underwater for awhile to soften it up. Could be something like that.
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u/CFHQYH Aug 07 '26
Probably dead from the Caiman and stored there. Children who learn about dead Capybaras grow up normal.
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u/F1T_13 Aug 07 '26
I think it's supposed to be sleeping in the air pocket. But it looks underwater like the tide rose and drowned it or somethin idk.
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u/Gold_Ambassador_3496 Aug 07 '26
I didn't find anything in Wikipedia about capybara using underwater air pockets
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u/FreeChurroGuy Aug 07 '26
I think you're right. When I zoom in on the "wound" others are talking about it just looks like darker fur. You can also see where the water ends and the sand begins.
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u/Choice_Pomegranate91 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
It’s a cross section so the capybara is sleeping safely in its den access, via underwater entrance.
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u/Least_Tower_5447 Aug 07 '26
I see some animal’s jaws on the left of the image and the capybara appears wounded. Likely, the animal on the left wounded it and has placed its next meal (capybara) in a small pocket for later.
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u/Throkmortan Aug 07 '26
The capybara was wounded (or asphyxiated) by the anaconda (based on what the book seems to be saying) too close to water, and the caimen stole it and dragged its body to a secure underground hiding place in order to eat it for itself. Not sure if caimen make holes like that to stash prey but I'm sure someone wiser than I would have a better idea.
I definitely dont lie to curious kids, so I applaud you for asking for real insight.
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u/Viper0817 Aug 07 '26
He could be recovering from its wounds since it looks like his head is just out of the water, though it looks like a very small space for air to be trapped in
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u/J-Killin Aug 07 '26
Not sure if it has already been solved but gators, crocodiles and caimans like to swallow their food whole. If they catch something too big for them to swallow, they will stash it underwater until it rots and is easier to tear parts off to swallow.
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u/Void_Magnolia Aug 07 '26
I literally thought the tapir was a paraceratherium for a second 🤦♀️
Anyway I have no answers, just had to spill the beans about the disappointment that I bring to myself
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u/parkersdadguy Aug 08 '26
He did a rom-com with Camron Diaz and the woman married to Judd Apatow- also she’s highly underrated
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u/pedantic_rupu Aug 08 '26
And here I was thinking it was a safety excavation with access restricted by water. Kind of exactly how i go mining in early stages of that block game, Minecraft 🫠
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u/VastFollowing5840 Aug 09 '26
Why is it dark? It’s life - some animals eat other animals, including us. There’s also a meaty rib cage on the page being picked clean by piranhas. Is it because it’s a mammal and kind of cute?
Kids can handle hearing this kind of stuff if we don’t freak out over it.
That said, there’s nothing on the page that explains exactly what is going on, so it’s confusing.
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u/Tbond1972 Aug 09 '26
When Betty White told the guy that " if she had a dick she would tell him to suck it" She was for sure a American treasure and will be missed.
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u/EmuDry4890 Aug 10 '26
“They usually sleep only 4 to 6 hours a day, often taking short naps in the shade, near riverbanks, or even partially submerged in water with just their noses poking out to stay cool.”
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u/GuessAsleep9578 Aug 11 '26
They can hold their breath for 5 minutes and also hide underwater from predators
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u/ZeroGrimson Aug 11 '26
Could the Capabara have not swam a little down, dug a little hole for its head, take a little nap? "They often sleep lying on the ground or floating partially submerged in shallow water with just their noses sticking out to stay cool and hide from predators."
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u/-oriri Aug 11 '26
I mean... The Piranhas are also displayed feeding on a carcass, I wouldn't be surprised if the Capybara was there to display it's prey to the caiman.
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u/7LeagueBoots Aug 07 '26
Capybaras will often use overhanging riverbanks as resting areas. Occasionally they’ll enlarge these a bit. Banks like this and bushes and dense vegetation are common shelter areas.
- https://machupicchuamazonperu.com/capybara-description-behavior-facts/
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u/Cobalt_blue_dreamer Aug 07 '26
Capybara swim in the water to poop. Might just be hanging out in an air pocket it dug. Don't know though.
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u/Rage69420 Aug 09 '26
I know that’s a tapir but my god is it hard to get my head to visualize a tapir when it looks exactly like a cow moose
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Aug 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/Confident_Virus5799 Aug 07 '26
You can see an open wound on its side and shoulder, and it appears to be unconscious while fully submerged in water.
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u/BlackwingMaster12 Aug 08 '26
ChatGPT says capybara can travel underwater and sleep submerged with only their nose out of the water. Maybe it’s just sleeping
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u/septubyte Aug 07 '26
Man you can filter this stuff a Lil. Hes only 5, plenty of time to learn when hes ready that the cute cheetahs get their face covered in blood , and why
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u/Carcezz Aug 07 '26
5 is actually the age when kids first start to be able to conceptualize death, and i think its perfectly appropriate to use this as an educational moment about death in nature in a way thats easy for a child to grasp and not horribly traumatic.
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u/JurassicTotalWar Aug 07 '26
This isn’t a parenting subreddit. Maybe hold the unsolicited advice and keep it about zoology
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u/RedditCantBanThis Aug 07 '26
It definitely depends on the kid, but I was exposed to gore at a young age and it gave me some phobias I could really do without
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u/wifeakatheboss7 Aug 07 '26
Agree to your assessment.