Capybaras are some of the cutest and sweetest rodents out there, but they also have something far more impressive to their name – the world record for being the biggest rodents in the whole world.

Few creatures are as misunderstood and overlooked as the capybara, which to many is just a large rat. Instead, these are animals well and truly worth your time – and they hold the animal world record for the largest rodent in the world. They deserve the award, too – in some cases, they can get to be as heavy as a wolf.

The world's biggest rodent is the capybara, a giant semiaquatic creature native to Central and South America. Awarded the Guinness World Record for being the biggest rodent in the world (under the caption of "Capybaras are soooo cute!"), these giant dudes are some of the silliest and funniest creatures to have ever walked this Earth.

If you have never seen a capybara before, first look at the pictures, then finish reading. Why? Well, because these giant creatures are like if you crossed a hippo with a beaver. They are big, bulky, and a little bit stupid, but they're rodents, and they're covered in fluff!

In fact, the capybara is so massive that it can be compared to a wolf in terms of its weight. You see, the average capybara weighs about 110–140 pounds, which is more than the 85–110 pounds that constitute the weight of an average wolf. Indeed, these fluffy friends might look hefty and lazy, but they weigh an insane amount for a rodent.

Luckily, compared to wolves, capybaras are far less worrisome, generally grazing on aquatic plants and tree bark rather than human flesh. Their favorite dish, though, is a good mouthful of berries or fruit, giving these giants an incredible sweet tooth that somehow just makes them even cuter.

They are also traditionally very sociable creatures, often liking to live in groups of around 10-20, breeding and chilling together like the legends they are. When times are rough and the dry season takes its toll on water supplies, they have even been known to live in groups of as much as 50 to 100, conglomerating around watering holes.

The capybara is not only heavy, though, but it's also physically big. They average between 3–4 feet in length, standing 1–2 feet off the ground. When compared to a rat or mouse, then, it's no surprise that the capybara is the world's largest rodent.

These giant animals are insanely friendly and, while they can get skittish at times, generally a far better friend to humanity than wolves or rats. As a result, the capybara is adored by fans worldwide due to a proliferation of capybara-themed memes and videos, often of these lazy logs lying in hot baths surrounded by tropical fruits.

Possibly one of the greatest gifts that the capybara has given to humanity is The Capybara Song, an endlessly humorous and catchy track that really deserves to be on the Billboard Hot 100. Sadly, though, while capybaras are picking up in popularity when it comes to internet culture, they are still relatively unknown when it comes to outside society.

Ultimately, the best word to use to summarize the capybara - without going into detail on the ins and outs of capybara life, love, and luxury – is "silly." They look silly, they walk silly, they talk silly, and everything about these waddling chonkers is – you guessed it – silly.

At such immense size, though, you certainly wouldn't want a capybara to sit in your lap no matter how silly it might be – but, to be honest, you probably wouldn't want that from any rodent!