[Crawling up thousands of feet of mountain]
You: I’ve come all this way to hear your guidance, oh great bunneh-like mammal
Bunneh-ish Creature: "Remember this my son. There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t."
Thank you, Charlotte S., for introducing us to this wise, wise "Viscacha" animule.
OMG LOLOLOLOL
That is the single funniest caption and scroll-over EVER!!!!
*bows down*
Oh great and wise animule, what iz zee meaninks of life? Is it soley to snorgle the most adorableness of small animules? Perhaps to kronchez upon the most precious of earz… do tell, do tell!
hahahaa oh Meg you’re blowing me off with ur wit today.
Cute! I was sure it was some type of bunny, but it is in the rodent family. Still cute!
TGIF!
The bun looks soooo wise.
Meg you kill me.
Definitely a bun and not a chinchilla (sp?)?
is that a bunny or chinchilla???
??? Scratching my head, he can’t be a bun or can he?
Looks like one of the creatures out of the Star Wars Movie.
Oh Wise Meg what is thou?
i just saw these little guys on a PBS show within the last few days but i could not find a really good “praying” picture of one to sub to CO.
Vizcachas are too cute!!
You sure he’s not all “ohhmmm. ohhmmm. ohhm…”?
DUH! I need to learn how to read.
He’s a ‘Viscacha’ as Meg has clearly stated.
One species of viscacha, the golden viscacha rat, has a particular taste for saltbush and a specialized adaptation for consuming it. This rodent is an extremely rare species, occurring over less than ten square miles of salt desert.
He’s a rodent, related to the chinchilla NOT a lagomorph (bunny). I love convergent evolution!!
Oh wise bunny guru, I am the sun, you are the moon, I am the song, you are the tune, play me….
Ok, the bunneh made me chuckle, but the mouseover made me lol!
Can we start a new site for disapproving viscachas?
Oh.
My.
Gawd.
[bowing] I am so not worthy oh wise master.
*gong*
P S. Have you noticed the length of those whiskers??? They are most impressive.
Eeeee! He reminds me of a cheencheella! So cute! His fur looks unbelievably soft and snuggly. I want a few of those little guys to cuddle around my feet for slippers!
OMG.
a kind of “rat”.
amazing.
my edjamacation continues thanks to COL.
Is it just my, or are this guy’s whiskers about a foot long?
I also suspect that in a different moment, the Great Wise Viscacha packs a powerful disapproving punch.
Huh. My little sister used to say “animule” when she was younger.
Flashbacks.
His paunch is pretty impressive, too…
“Life– is a fountain. Wait, life’s *not* a fountain?”
Rotund rodent rallies Red Sox Nation?!
I want this V- to teach me de art of meditation. Perhaps if I focus all energies on his cuteness I will acheive fuzzana.
Oh wise bunny guru, I am the sun, you are the moon, I am the song, you are the tune, play me….
Posted by: Ms. Pants | Oct 12, 2007 at 06:40 AM
That did me IN. I’m done for the day.
I agree with the person who got bleen. I almost died from a combination of a heart attack and asphyxia due to the sudden LOL. Looking at this site first thing after waking up is hazardous to your health!
What a wonderful, majestic, wise old bun. I bet he’d make a great rack-warmer.
It’s the altitude. Thin air in them Andes!
Is anybody else hoping they come out with a soft, squishy stuffed animal version of this to put against their headboards for emergency midnight snorgling?
If that pic didn’t kill you
this one will – guaranteed!
http://www.trekkingchile.com/PhotoGallery/CentralChile/fotos3/images/28-80%20Viscacha_JPG.jpg
What a co-inky-dink, I has a hairy pawnch, too! Maybe I’m related to this dude.
no no no NO wait
LOOK AT THIS ONE OMG!
http://www.microsoft.com/library/media/1033/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/images/icons/travelstotheedge/gallery/101/Ep101_5.jpg
That tan “belt” is too much. Talk about a Buddha-belly.
Although now that I think about it, Buddha belly, elongated earlobes, serene expression,
this is clearly a dalai.
OMG very rare species?… They should be domesticated! I want one! And then it would ensure the survival of that fluffitude!
I am proud to be part of latter. Rock on, furry dude!
Carrie, thanks for the GREAT pics! The first one with the snuggling was too cute, but the second one really was phenom!
Carrie, I just made a silly of myself at work… I was like “Ohhhh he’s so cute…Look at the BEBEH!”, with the first pic…
Then I went to the second and bust out laughing!! I’m sure the others in my office are wondering what I’m doing… But I aint’ sharin’!!! This is MY SITE and they can’t look at it!!!
(Nevermind that I’m constantly like “Look at this pic!!! Aren’t the just the most anerable?!?” So I guess the secret’s out anyway…)
Not only is this a totally adorable little creature, but you also quoted the greatest movie of all time, WHAT ABOUT BOB? This website effing rocks, and you are a genius.
Is THIS the R.O.U.S?
somehow I thought they’d be scarier looking.
(When I first looked I thought “Jabba the Bun”, but he’s not a Bun.)
Seeker: Whut’s it all about, Mr. Natural?
Mr. Natural: Don’t mean sh*t.
“Quickly as you can, snatch the pebble from my hand.” Viscacha Fu, The Legend Continues…
Meg, I sent you viscacha pictures months ago, and one of them looked JUST LIKE THIS ONE!
I was suprised back then that you wouldn’t post them, because I think viscachas are awesome and they look totally chilled out most of the time.
Well, I just wanted to nag about it a little
aww! look at those whiskers!
Wisebun. Man who take girl up mountain is not on the level.
WOW! I am now enlightened. Whoda thunk enlightenment was about Neil Diamond?
Thanks, sender inner, and espeche thanks to Carrie for the anerable and HYSTERICAL follow up pix!
One species of viscacha, the golden viscacha rat, has a particular taste for saltbush and a specialized adaptation for consuming it. This rodent is an extremely rare species, occurring over less than ten square miles of salt desert. That gives it one of the most restricted habitats of any mammal. Viscachas make their homes in mounds largely formed through soil erosion and deposition. The mounds offer the rodents protection from the floodwaters that arise each summer, when monsoon-like rains and runoff water from the surrounding mountains inundate the parched salt flats. The viscacha, which is related to the chinchilla, has upper incisors and chisel-shaped lower incisors. But it’s an extra pair of upper incisors that enables the viscacha to consume saltbush. These extra “teeth” are actually stiffened bristles of hair gathered into bundles. With three sets of incisors, the viscacha can easily strip the salt from the saltbush leaves, which it then eats. The viscacha rat also has kidneys that produce urine high in salt content, enabling it to excrete most of the salt it consumes in its diet.
Soo much sweet snorgly chub on such a little bunchilla.
To the girl who said slippers, I’m with you!
Did y’all pop on over to the linked Nature site?? Anyone else read about their (((shudder))) THREE sets of incisors (((shudder)))??? Sure, he looks all fluffy ‘n snuggly on the outside…
Oh hey, kk3 posted the toothy details just as I was making my post. (twilight zone music)
I think he starred in a Miyazaki movie once.
That’s probably one of the cutest rats ever. Looks like a nice, toasty bun(neh)!
OMG, this is going to be my new background (replacing the huge kitty feet from several months ago.) Plus, I just made all sorts of embarassing squeaky noises; I sounded like my boss’s dog when he’s whining to go out!
Oh, and LOVED the R.O.U.S. reference! (from “The Princess Bride”, for you youngsters…)
One feature that is not seen in the picture is that this lovely creatures have long tails…fluffy tails:
http://www.astro.keele.ac.uk/~iain/travels/chile2006/images/medium/25-vizcacha2.jpg
http://stevemetzphotography.com/images/Mammals/Vizcacha.jpg
http://www.tyndanproductions.com/offtopic/Vizcacha.jpg
http://www.fotonatura.org/galerias/fotos/usr2322/usr2322_gal3.jpg
Oh, and they also seem to be “disapproving” all the time
(look for Vizcacha, with a “z” for more results)
Ohhh, it’s like a chin with small ears!! *HUGS!*
heh…I love that..
squee! it’s a cousin of my degusnusses (um, degus when one subtracts the cute)
People always thinks mini chinchilla-bunny-type critters are sooo cute. i delight in telling them they’re rats. i swear, Chile has the cutest collection of rat species evah.
That’s my favourite quote! Oddly enough, my bunnehs LURVE Neil too.
I am moving to Chile – anyone wanna come? I love that last link post that looks like he’s in the middle of good laugh.
Rotund rodent rallies Red Sox Nation?!
Posted by: Theresa | Oct 12, 2007 at 07:16 AM
YES, Theresa!
Thanks Meg, perfick timing for this post, what with the ALCS starting tonight. Woot!
YES!! I discovered these things about a year ago and was blown away by their astounding cuteness. I’m so glad to see them on this site now. Yay vizcachas!!
omg Carrie and caro – you two almost keeeled me with the additional pics!
He looks squishy. Bet he’d be soft as a feather pillow if you picked him up to snorgle. Thanks for introducing me to an animal I haven’t yet seen in my many, many hours of watching Animal Planet.
omgrattiebun!!!1!!11
Thanks for all the additional pics. This is 1 of my newest favorite animal now.
Must…have…this..animal! Too bad it’s wild….
He’s so floofy and squishy I just want to hug him, and squeeze him, and love him ALL day!
AND he knows who Neil Diamond is…what more could I ask for!
FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS!
namaste oh wise bunneh-like-being.
Just recapping here, we’ve got:
Bunneh-like body, fuzz and ears.
Rodent-like teeth.
Teeth made of hair like a whale.
Buddha-belly.
Salty urine.
And a poofy tail stoled from a sqwerl.
Ladies and gentleman, my evidence that God, in her infinite wisdom, has an amazing sense of humor and mischief.
P.S. The noble enlightened dalai is CLEARLY rooting for Cleveland.
Keep sailing, Bob!
Silly berthaslave. If the rabbitish creature is rooting for Cleveland, why is he singing “Sweet Caroline”?
Hubby took one look and dubbed it the “Bunny Rattit”
What a chilled out little dude.
At first it looked like the bunneh had 3 sets of paws until I saw that the middle pair was just an enormous (comfertbuhls) roll of flab.
are they all this chubbee?
ok, now DIS is a Totoro ( http://www.geocities.com/ben_jacobs/totoro.gif )!! ^^
(who i wub, btw)
is a bunneh not a rodent??
it kinda has rodent teefs
They sing “Sweet Caroline” in Washington, too, and I’ve also heard it in minor league ballparks in Columbus (when the Yankees had a minor league team there) and many in California. If he was singing “Cotton Eye Joe” I wouldn’t assume he was rooting for the Yankees (:coff: 26 world championships :coff:).
He’s simply a good baseball fan and knows that the Indians’ pitching will attack the strike zone and make mincemeat of the Red Sox hitters, who will find their patience being rewarded with a lot of 0-2 counts followed by flailing wildly at sliders in the dirt. That, and Curt Schilling is a fascist, and enlightened bunneh don’t root for no fascists. (Not that the series won’t be close, mind you).
Bunnies and hares and a few other critters are lagomorphs, which are a different family than rodents but closely related. Yeah, they all got big front teeth.
Yikes!
That looks like the ancient ancestor of Disapproving Rabbits. I must find this animal in the wild and experience it in person.
Q: What dance do these rodents do?
A: The Vizcacha-cha-cha-cha!
PS Re “Sweet Caroline,” they play it at Shea Stadium, too but it’s always subject to debate. I don’t know why we should sing someone else’s song, especially when we have our own at 7th inning stretch (“Lazy Mary”)
Thanks Tina Rhea
Lagomorphs.. they look way cuter than it sounds.
This still made me laugh 3 hours later walking down the sidewalk.
Also… First ever BLEEN! WooT!
NYGirly– You’re right, it IS a totoro! My favorite! Brownie points to you! <3
And Carrie, thanks for the second pic, I almost fell out of my chair laughing!
lol viscachas look like chubbier chinchillas
it’s the Psammead!
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Psammead.JPG - Ed.]
I gonna love him and kiss him and squeeze him and call him Great Guru Floofypants.
But the bunthing would disapprove me straight out of my boots.
O most noble and adorable Vizcacha-Guru, the world is not Black and White. What about us Monkees fans who love “I’m a Believer” and “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” but who otherwise don’t like Neil Diamond?
Ha! Got ya there, Vizcacha-Guru!
Bunfucius!
dude what is that some kind of new species? if so coolio! Hey do you go on VMK!?!
(I haven’t read all of the previous comments, so forgive me if this has already been addressed). Ok, is it just me, or does he/she look like she’s hugging a smaller one (they would both be facing the camera) and those are 4 littoh paws belong-ging to the bebeh one. OR is this just one VERY VOLUPTUOUS adult V…whatever it’s called??? Cute tho! Still cute!
i love viscachas, they’re like a rabbit + a chinchilla x mister miyagi.
I always thought “Mister Miyagi” would be a great name for a cat.
Berthaslave, yer argument be flawed. I don’t fink the Indians sing Sweet Caroline, so it’s irrelevant who else does the song. The bunny-looking-creature still is not rooting for the Tribe.
So sorry…and I didn’t see much of Sox hitters flailing at pitches in the dirt tonight either.
Go Sox!
It’s called vizcacha and it is a “cousin” of the chinchilla. They live in Chile. I’m from Chile, they were my neighbors!
^_^*
He’s a cross between a bunneh and a kangaroo. Look at the shape of his head. I’m sure there could be a pouch in that middle somewhere.
Carrie, you did me in with those pictures. HE looks like a marmot bunny to me… (course I used to Live in Colorado so that would explain that.)
He could be like the mythical jackalope only real… Pictured on post cards…with have you seen teh elusive marmobunny!
*puts her hand over her mouth* I want to pet it. Now.
Hmmmmm…
The fuzz is strong with this one…..
I love “What about Bob.” And this bunny is adorable.
Holy parallel evolution, peeps, http://www.disapprovingrabbits.com/ has posted a link here with a warning to protect the inexperienced!
WTG, dr.com!
YEH!!! What About Bob?!!!! It makes my lips numb just thinking about it.
Can we name this animal Dr. Leo Marvin? Think we should…..
That picture is too perfect!
That is quite possibly my favorite picture of a bunny ever
[I hope you won't be disappointed when you discover the truth... - Ed.]
The vizacha guru is adorable, but the yawning vizacha actually made me make a sound that only dogs and small mammals can hear. And then my head exploded.
The CAPTION, OMG, the CAPTION!!! ROFL!!!