Capybara Morning: Context Clues on the River

Capybara Morning

1Inés had never been anywhere like this. The wide brown river, the croaking frogs, and the screeching birds were a far cry from her quiet street in the city, where the loudest sound was the morning bus. She and her little brother, Mateo, were visiting their uncle Rafa, who drove a small boat for visitors who came to see the wetland animals.

2By midmorning, the air was so sweltering that sweat trickled down Inés's neck even under her wide straw hat. "This is when the capybaras come down to the water," Tío Rafa said. He spoke in a hushed voice so that the animals would not hear them coming. Then he turned off the motor, and the boat drifted toward the muddy bank.

3A moment later, Inés spotted them: a family of capybaras resting in the mud at the river's edge. Unlike Mateo, who wiggled and bounced and could not sit still for a second, the capybaras were placid. They lay quietly in the mud, chewing on grass, and nothing seemed to bother them. A small bird even hopped along one capybara's back, pecking at bugs, and the capybara did not so much as twitch.

4One capybara waded into the river. The water was so murky that Inés could not see its legs, only brown ripples spreading out around its body. Soon the animal submerged itself until only its eyes, ears, and nose were above the surface. "Capybaras are the biggest rodents on Earth, and they are great swimmers," Tío Rafa explained. "Their eyes and noses sit high on their heads, so they can stay almost completely underwater and still breathe and look around."

5Suddenly, the rumble of a faraway motorboat echoed across the water. The young capybaras became wary. They stopped chewing, lifted their heads, and pressed close to the grown-ups, watching the river carefully until the sound faded away.

6A few minutes later, Mateo sneezed. It was a loud, surprising "ACHOO!" and the capybaras bolted. One moment they were lying as still as stones; the next, they were dashing into the river, splashing and paddling with their partly webbed feet.

7Mateo's face turned red, and he gave a sheepish grin, because he knew his sneeze had scared the animals away. But Tío Rafa only pointed. On the far bank, the capybaras were climbing out of the water. They shook themselves off, flopped down in the warm sun, and were soon as drowsy as Mateo after a big lunch, their eyes slowly drifting shut.