Tupi the Baby Capy

New capybara pup at the San Antonio Zoo is the latest internet celeb

I could hardly let 2024 get too far in the rear view mirror without mentioning the latest small animal celebrity to take the Internet by storm. Meet Tupi, a capybara pup born at the San Antonio Zoo on December 3rd. She’s the first capybara pup born at the zoo since 2000, which had aquired a new set of adults just this year, ending the zoo’s capy-less streak that started in 2018. Thanks to a social media push by the zoo, and fueled by extreme twee (not to mention the extremely chill reputation that capys already enjoy, making them a perennial online favorite), Tupi is the taking her turn on the world stage, the subject of a flurry of memes and fan art. And like other baby animal celebrities, she’s also become the namesake of a crypto coin, to which the zoo as disavowed any relationship. The zoo does not even derive any benefit from the name theft, so it’s pretty smarmy on the side of the crypto guys.

Similar to the pattern established with other baby animal celebrities we’ve covered this year, Tupi’s gender is at present unknown, since zoos will wait until the animal is old and established enough to determine its sex. And of course babies are disturbed as lightly as possible to allow bonding time with their moms. Baby Tupi currently spends her days napping and nursing, and sharing her mom’s and aunt’s bowls for food, sometimes climbing right into them for the best nibbles. The zoo is posting Tupi’s progress on social media, including on Instagram where the video for today’s gif was taken, as well as their latest humorous post attached below:

A better proposal than whatever the imperialist dingdongs are calling for. From the San Antonio Zoo Instagram feed.

Instagram: San Antonio Zoo - a place to see more Tupi pictures and video shorts!

The New York Times: "A Baby Capybara’s Rise to Fame Is a Perfect End to 2024" by Gina Cherelus, 12/18/24