The internet is dominated by dog and cat videos, which are always fighting for supremacy. But other cute animals have begun taking away some internet shares from the two popular pets.
Ball pythons, leopard cubs, tiger cubs, and other harmless-looking animals are adored online too. But currently, it is the Capybara who has captured all the attention online.
Known for being peace ambassadors and able to chill with anyone, whether cats or crocodiles, these grass-eating rodents are living rent-free in TikTok users’ minds. They can grow up to 134 cm and weigh about 60 kg. Native to South America, these herbivores are semi-aquatic and known for being friendly.
The Capybara has always been beloved on the internet, but why are they suddenly going viral on TikTok? It’s because of a Russian artist known as Сто-Личный Она-Нас (Sto-Lichnayii Ona-Nas), who has produced a song titled “Capybara” on TikTok, and it’s as addictive as the Baby Shark song. Also, the animal is getting hailed for being anti-class in Buenos Aires.
Why Are Capybaras Going Viral on TikTok?
Capybaras aren’t new to the internet. On the Japanese side of the world, they are loved thanks to a Bandai-launched cartoon called Kapibarasan in the early 2000s. They became more popular when in 2010, a Capybara called Caplin Rous captured the fledgling internet’s attention.
Then, eight years later, Katsuhito Watanabe propelled them to ultimate stardom when he uploaded videos of them taking relaxing Yuzu baths. As such, the Capybara phenomenon isn’t new. However, they are trending on TikTok in 2023 for a completely different reason though it’s directly related to their cuteness.
A song called Capybara is going viral on the short video-sharing platform because it’s an earworm, thanks to simple lyrics that are repetitions of the word Capybara. The song has been uploaded by Сто-Личный Она-Нас (Sto-Lichnayii Ona-Nas), a Russian artist. It has already been viewed millions of times.
Capybara- A Symbol Of Anti-Capitalism?
It’s not just because of a catchy song that Capybaras are going viral on the internet. It is also because, in an eyebrow-raising event, they have become symbols of class warfare and anti-capitalism in Buenos Aires. In a gated community in Argentina, these rodents chewed away the grass of an affluent neighborhood in 2021. That incident resurfaced again in 2023.
Fun fact, this neighborhood was constructed on the wetlands where these animals used to live. So it was seen by everyone as them recapturing and reclaiming their encroached land. As such, they were hailed as comrade Capybara. Thanks to all this, the Capybara is experiencing a renaissance.
These animals even got a highly liked fan-made version of the popular Barbie posters. There are more than 300k likes on it already. But the main question is: Are these Capybaras here to stay?
Will the Capybara Tiktok Trend Ever Stop?
TikTok is characterized by short videos that are barely a minute long, and that’s also the average attention span of the platform’s users. Over the years, multiple things and people have gone viral on the app. Recently, the Wednesday dance, which was a dance performed by Jenna Ortega’s titular character in the Netflix show, went viral.
Various edits to the dance were made, and even Lady Gaga participated. Her song, Bloody Mary, was the most popular song to make edits of the dance with. The show became one of the top-viewed shows in the history of Netflix too. Now, a few months later, no one is even talking about the show, let alone the dance.
That’s pretty much how the Capybara trend will follow as well. So it’s better to enjoy the memes, edits, and the viral song for now because once the internet has explored and exploited every possible avenue to get entertained out of them, it will move on to something else. So they will probably again get overshadowed by cats and dogs. That’s just the natural life cycle of any viral thing.
However, this doesn’t mean that people will stop loving the animals. After all, who can turn away from these chill rodents who seemingly get along with everyone in the animal kingdom?
So what are your thoughts on the Capybara trend? Do you think that it will experience a fall as well? Or is it here to stay for a long time besides dog and cat videos?
Let us know in the comments below.
