Detecting large mice like pigs in the US

A South American hamster as big as a pig, weighing at least 45kg, was filmed at a California water treatment facility before it disappeared in the bush.

The animal in the world's largest rodent is capybara - a type of guinea pig that eats plants.

"If you think a giant guinea pig is cute, then you probably like it," said Todd Tognazzini of the California Fish and Competition Service. According to him, the guinea pig may be a fugitive pet.

The animal was discovered in a wastewater treatment facility in Paso Robles, 280km northwest of Los Angeles. A factory employee took a picture of the animal when it crawled out of a pond.

South American hamsters giant capybara often live in areas from Panama to northeast Argentina, east of the Andes, described on the San Francisco Zoo website.

A capybara can hold its breath underwater for up to 5 minutes and this species often lives near water during its 4-year life.

Giant hamster capybara can be up to 1m long and its teeth keep growing.

The latest appearance of the giant guinea pig takes place about two years after people see a similar animal at a farm about 2km away. That animal has become a star on the west coast of the United States and a Twitter account has been created for it.

In the description of information about this giant mouse wrote: "Going to the US to travel but losing a passport. Who can help Capybara go home?". In the first article, the person with the nickname @CACapybara wrote: "I came from Peru and became famous".

In California, USA, wanting to raise giant hamster capybara must have a special license, but some people still raise it illegally."On the Internet full of pictures of some people scratching the rat's abdomen and thinking they're cute, they treat them like pets" Tognazzini said.

The California fishing and competition agency does not consider this animal a dangerous species.