The gripe is a large (3-4 meters)
aquatic rodent distantly related to
the
coypu and the
voorngk. The gripe inhabits shipyards, wharves, and
brackish marshes on the eastern coast of
South America and in northern
Michigan.
The gripe is
nocturnal except during the daytime, when it forages for
thistles, grape vines, and
prebendaries. Its coat is long
and thick, in heft and odor closely resembling that of the
coypu. Its
young are born live, but the condition seems not to be permanent. In
mating season, the gripe will often impersonate the
thrush with some
success. Gripes are solitary, moody, and tedious.
There are two subspecies of
gripe: The Greater and the Lesser. They are
identical.