Meme Daddy Don Caldwell of Know Your Meme (and good friend of Laughing Squid) explains how and why the capybara has become the most popular and favorite animal of viral memes, particularly as of late.
It’s the largest living rodent on Earth and one of the chillest animals in existence. A coconut doggy….2021 was the year when capybaras truly conquered the internet, with seemingly not a week passing without another capybara post going viral. But what makes capybaras stand out among dozens of cute animals loved by the internet? Let’s find out.
Prior to 2006, the capybara was little known in the west but had become the beloved animal of a Japanese man named Katshuhito Watanabe, who first glimpsed a capybara at a local zoo. After that fateful visit, Watanabe did all he could to publicize the existence of this big beautiful rodent, and eventually, the world caught on in spades.
