I was just kidding, Robb. But I'm surprised to know you've got capybara (world's largest rodent)!

Big ole swamp rats look like guinnea pigs just lot bigger like feral hog size 140-160 lbs.

Capybaras are native to South America.

They are non-native, potential invasives in Florida that have the potential to cause tons of damage to the native ecosystem.

All Capybara needs to be caught and removed from the wild . It is probably too late to simply contain them anymore.

The State is in denial or are they, that capybara are breeding but federal data shows otherwise.

One FWC web site says Capybara are not breeding http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/mammals/capybara/
then another FWC web site confirms they have been been breeding here since the 1990's.

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/mammals/ <----Complete List of all Exotics As reported By

Fed data claims they are established in Alachua and Columbia County Florida and spreading.

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/collectioninfo.aspx?SpeciesID=2587

Sit back and watch this animated you will see 23 years of federal data from 1990-2013
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/SpeciesAnimatedMap.aspx?speciesID=2587

We have had capybara like rodents living here in earlier periods of time.
They have found ancient capybara like rodent fossils in Florida.
http://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/124583

As far as cougar sightings go, when I was under the employ of a certain agency, I made acquaintance of a certain wildlife official who had actually captured a mountain lion in a state that none exist in. Caught it in a girls dorm no less. Three month old started really freaking out the roommate. The illegal pet trade is alive and well fellas. When kitty gets to big to be cute, how many get dumped in the woods in relationship with how many get reported to appropriate authorities. You know when it sharpens its claws and cuts a table leg in half, it becomes clear that this is not a toy poodle. Really puts a different perspective on the whole cougar sightings issue, doesn't it? Many sightings are easily dismissed because of atypical behavior. Cougar that have been fed by humans would probably act pretty atypically. I would personally have no reason to doubt that anyone saw anything, anywhere. Unless they claimed to have seen an honest politician, at which point it is clear someone is miss-using a medication.

Well said Andy. I have been saying that very same thing for many years. I don't discount the sightings but very rarely are they wild animals.

I don't dismiss sightings I just don't always think people see what they think they see. Kind of like black mountain lions in Oklahoma.