Speak (The Tick)

Speak is The Tick's pet capybara on the Tick animated series. The Tick found him in the jungles of Mexico after he bumped his head, which made him hallucinate the animal speaking. He thought it was a dog until he took it to the veterinarian, who told him it was in actuality a capybara. The Tick was initially heartbroken at this, but eventually came to accept Speak's "alternative lifestyle" (as he called it in one episode). As the Capybara is the largest living species of rodent, the Tick once affectionately referred to him as "the world's biggest rat." Speak became the focus of several peculiar ideas for the Tick who still believed the animal could speak and that he was even exceptionally intelligent.

In his own right Speak's appearance was unusual for a capybara in that he appeared to lack any kind of neck and his head was much larger in comparison to his body than is true for a capybara. Although described as "moist" he was rarely seen in the water, but this likely came from the constraints of living in the characters' apartment. Unrelated to his "capybara-ness" he also had a kind of eczema and a runny nose. Speak generally lived in the cupboard beneath the sink in Arthur's kitchen. He appears to have been completely terrified of the Tick. The Tick was, of course, completely oblivious to this.