Capybara Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
The largest rodent on earth.
All about the capybara: from its eating habits to reproduction and threats.
The capybara in a nutshell
- eats
- aquatic plants, buds, fruits, tree bark
- inhabits
- parts of South America
- excels at
- swimming
The name ‘capybara’ means ‘lord of grass’ in the South American Tupi-Guaranà language. The capybara owes its name to the low vegetation on the riverbanks where it is often to be found.
Champion swimmer
The capybara lives in wetlands near rivers, swamps and lakes in eastern South America. Its body is well-adapted for swimming, with partially webbed toes. Its nose, eyes and ears are also set high on its head, allowing it to smell, see and hear while it is in the water. When in danger, the capybara can stay submerged for up to five minutes.
Early maturers
A baby capybara comes into the world with a full coat of hair and weighs a kilo at birth. A few hours after birth, it can already run, swim and dive. Pups only drink their mother’s milk for a few weeks, and are grazing with the rest of the group within a month.
Extraordinary eating habit
Like some other rodents, capybaras have a particularly interesting eating habit; specifically, they eat their own droppings. They do so because plant fibres are difficult to digest, and by digesting the faeces one more time, they can extract much more nutrition from it.
Threats
The capybara is the largest rodent in the world and a favourite prey for natural predators such as jaguars and caimans. People, too, hunt capybaras. Sometimes for their meat, but principally for their skin, from which they extract oils that are believed to be beneficial for joint pain. The capybara’s teeth are made into necklaces for tourists.
