Did Teddy Roosevelt See A Capybara?

The Answer May Shock You

Author

Capy Tube
May 14, 2025

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States, went on a multi-month adventure down the Rio da Dúvida ("River of Doubt"), exploring through the Amazon basin.

You may be familiar with this expedition from Candice Millard’s book, The River of Doubt.

Or, you might recall playing The Amazon Trail as a kid and seeing Teddy Roosevelt appear in one of the game’s many full-motion video sequences.

Anyway, I was recently curious if Teddy Roosevelt ever saw a Capybara while exploring the Amazon. And the answer is… Yes. In his book, Through the Brazilian Wilderness: Theodore Roosevelt's Daring Exploration of the Amazon, Teddy Roosevelt mentions Capybaras several times.

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We frequently came across ponds tenanted by numbers of capybaras. The huge, pig-like rodents are said to be shy elsewhere. Here they were tame. The water was their home and refuge. They usually went ashore to feed on the grass, and made well-beaten trails in the marsh immediately around the water; but they must have travelled these at night, for we never saw them more than a few feet away from the water in the daytime. Even at midday we often came on them standing beside a bayou or pond.

Theodore Roosevelt

Speaking of Capybaras near water, here are two capys that are new to this newsletter.

I’ve never photographed or filmed either of them before, and I found the duo (there was actually a third hunkered down in the tall grass) hanging out by a riverbank.

The CapyTube Merch Store Proudly Presents:

Professor Capybara’s Brain-Buster

Speaking of U.S. presidents, Rutherford B. Hayes was one.

Do you know what South American country has a “Department” (the local equivalent to a state or province) named after ol' Rutherford?

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

- CapyTube

P.S. You might like this recent video about petting a Capybara while it relaxed in water.