Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
Capybaras are huge grazing rodents that live in herds and are semi-aquatic. They can purr and bark and, like rabbits, they eat their own dung to extract maximum nutrition from their food.
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Capybara young
Andes to Amazon
Only 1 in 20 baby capybaras survives where threats include expert underwater predators, anacondas.
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Andes to Amazon: GREAT PLAINS
3rd of a 6 part series exploring the wildlife & wild places of South America. Looks at the wildlife of the continent's vast grasslands.
About the Capybara
The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ), also known as capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, and capivara in Portuguese, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs. Its common name, derived from Kapiÿva in the Guarani language, means "master of the grasses" while its scientific name, hydrochaeris, is Greek for "water hog".
Capybaras have heavy, barrel-shaped bodies and short heads with reddish-brown fur on the upper part of their body that turns yellowish-brown underneath. Adult capybaras may grow to 130 centimetres (4.3 ft) in length, and weigh up to 65 kg (140 lb). The top recorded weight is 105.4 kg (232 lbs). Capybaras have slightly webbed feet, no tail, and 20 teeth. Their back legs are slightly longer than their front legs and their muzzles are blunt with eyes, nostrils, and ears on top of their head. Females are slightly heavier than males.
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The Capybara is
- Able to scent mark
- Co-operative breeder
- Colonial
- Dung eater
- Herbivorous
- Hierarchical
- Polygynous
- Precocial
- Social
- Viviparous
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
They can be found in the following habitats:
Conservation Status
The Capybara is Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Population trend: Unknown
Year assessed: 2008
Elsewhere on the web
- Capybara - Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (arkive.org)
- Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- IUCN Red List information (iucnredlist.org)
- Capybara (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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