Capybaras are impressive for many reasons. First of all, they’re the largest rodents to exist on the planet, and yet they maintain their delightful adorability. But, perhaps even more excitingly, they make for some of the cutest online videos. Whether they’re just sniffing through a forest or making friends with other animal species (or people), they so very often elevate whatever space they’re in. Dark Wings Wildlife, a nonprofit organization that helps educate people about wildlife, posted an Instagram Reel showing a dog named Stevie on high alert. Why? Because his friend Cheesecake the capybara is essentially tapping on the screen door. Stevie’s owner, Marina, notes that this just so happens to be one of her family’s two capybaras, and she’s there for a reason. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dark Wings Wildlife (@darkwingswildlife) “Did you invite a friend over?” In the clip, we hear Marina ask Stevie, “Did you invite a friend over? There’s a capybara at my door again.” And the day has barely begun. She continues, “It’s like the very first thing in the morning too.” She opens the front door and urges Stevie to tell her it’s okay to come in. Somehow this is communicated, and in lumbers Cheesecake, with Stevie following closely behind. As they both head toward the couch, the woman realizes she left the bedroom door open. Cheesecake takes a moment and turns right into said bedroom. “Hold on, Cheesecake! You can’t go on the bed. I draw the line at that.” The cute capybara obliges and redirects to the couch, where both she and Stevie hop up. Cheesecake and Pumpkin Cheesecake is one of two capybaras in the family, the other being Pumpkin. Marina explains, “Cheesecake the capybara has really taken to sneaking over first thing in the morning while Pumpkin’s still in bed so that she gets the couch to herself. Pumpkin and Cheesecake, our two capybaras, have access to our back porch through a connected pasture and will sometimes come up to the door for some extra attention and cuddles.” View this post on Instagram Pumpkin and Cheesecake can be a tiny bit destructive if left unchecked. “Though they look cute, and I do let them in when I can, they are extremely time-consuming and expensive to care for. When you see clips of them coming in the house, when I say ‘don’t eat anything,’ I mean it. They’re the largest rodents in the world and will chew on pretty much anything, so I have to watch them 100% of the time when they’re inside. They’re also smart, and she will wait until I’m not paying attention to try to chew on wires or the blankets on the couch.” “There’s a capybara at my door” This clip alone has over 3.5 million likes and tens of thousands of comments. One Instagrammer astutely shared an idea for a book series, writing, “This is a children’s book waiting to be written. ‘There’s a capybara at my door. I wonder what it’s there for. The capybara’s in my bed now. I wonder — does it snore?’” Another complimented Stevie, joking, “Your dog brings home capys?! I need a better dog!” Still another noted that Cheesecake seemed to feel quite welcome in the home. “She’s definitely been over before. She had a whole spot on the couch, knew her way around, the whole 9.” View this post on Instagram A site dedicated to wildlife and understanding capybaras backs up the claim that they’re usually pretty chill. “They’ve earned a reputation as the peacekeepers of the animal kingdom. Capybaras have been spotted relaxing with ducks, turtles, cats, monkeys, and even crocodiles! Part of their friendly vibe comes from how they handle stress. As prey animals, capybaras avoid conflict. They rely on stillness or walking away, rather than fighting back.” Dark Wings Wildlife Upworthy had the chance to chat with Marina from Dark Wings Wildlife. Through livestream exhibit cams and virtual interaction programs, the organization’s goal is to “entertain and educate,” which they refer to as “edutainment.” Cheesecake and Pumpkin are part of that wonderful process. Marina shares, “The capybaras are ambassador animals for our virtual animal education program and are kept via a permit.” As for their other animals? “We also have two Asian small-clawed otters and an African pied crow. My pets are Stevie and Chloe, a standard-issue kitty who appeared under our porch one day. We do live on a farm. We have three goats and a blind goose as our ‘farm’ animals.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dark Wings Wildlife (@darkwingswildlife) She makes it clear that they were diligent in socializing the capybaras with Stevie. “The capybaras were carefully socialized to be able to get along with Stevie. Wild capybaras can be quite territorial, so properly socializing them is really important, and the obvious big note to make sure to include is that you should never approach any wild animal unless you have express permission to do so.” The post Cheesecake the capybara makes early morning visit to get ‘couch all to herself’ appeared first on Upworthy.