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Rio 2016: Capybaras visiting Olympic golf course

A capybara crosses a fairway during a practice round during Day 3 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Olympic Golf Course on August 8, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Not all spectators at the Rio Olympic golf events bought a ticket: the course regularly hosts capybaras.

The large, 100-plus pound rodents are native to South America and are regular visitors to the golf course.

They’re popular with some of the players too: Sergio Garcia of Spain and Bernd Wiesberger of Austria were spotted taking pictures of a rodent near the 5th hole during a practice run.

The capybaras might be attracted by the water features, as they’re semi-aquatic mammals. The golf course was also built on their turf – in the Marapendi Nature Reserve – so you might say it’s the golfers who are visiting them.

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And as Toronto residents recently learned, it’s hard to keep capybaras from going wherever they want. When two escaped from the High Park Zoo, it took weeks to recapture them.

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