Was a New Species of Green Capybara Discovered in 2021?
In 2021, social media users enthusiastically shared posts that appeared to suggest a new green species of capybara had been discovered. On Feb. 15, wildlife photographer Bruno Brack posted a short video of a group of green-striped capybara walking over grass, along with the following caption:  The recently discovered new species: the green Capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris viridis. The recently discovered new species: the green Capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris viridis. Una nueva especie, rexcientemente descubierto: el carpincho con rayas verdes. pic.twitter.com/smuRp1ZodE  Bruno Brack (@Brkbru) February 15, 2021  Bracks widely shared video was further promoted in a post by Twitter user @LoochMcGooch. Some users will have quickly recognized that Bracks description was intended to be light-hearted, and showed the giant rodents covered in algae, rather than natural green pigmentation, but others did not, especially in light of Bracks authentic-seeming, Latin species name. Brack himself quickly clarified that no new species had been discovered, and explained the true contents of his video, writing: A group of Capybaras just left a swamp with duckweed and algae.  Based on information contained in Bracks Twitter profile, he appears to have filmed the footage himself, and later specified it had been captured in Paraguay.