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NJ Zoo Holds Contest To Name New Capybara Triplets: Here's What They Picked

The Essex County Turtle Back Zoo ran a contest to choose names for its new capybaras.

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The Essex County Turtle Back Zoo recently ran a contest for visitors, asking them to propose names for three new capybara pups. (Photo: Zoological Society of New Jersey / Essex County)

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Butters, Biscuit and Gravy. Those are the names of the Turtle Back Zoo's new capybara triplets.

The zoo recently ran a contest for visitors, asking them to propose names for the adorable pups.

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The winning names? Butters, Biscuit and Gravy.

According to the zoo, capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) are the largest living rodent species in the world. Their closest known relatives include rock cavies and guinea pigs, but they are semiaquatic like beavers, nutria and muskrats.

Some of the zoo's resident capybaras have been named to reflect their fondness for water, such as "Poseidon," who recently arrived at the Turtle Back. Others have gotten their names from the public, such as "Bailey and Guiness," two other pups who gained their new monikers after a vote among zoo visitors.

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