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12 Capybara Facts and Questions Answered

Capybara (Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris) with Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago chimachima), Pantanal, Brazil.

The capybara is a cute South American mammal of the rodent family that resembles a giant guinea pig or marmot. However, capybaras have their own distinguishable characteristics that have helped them survive and fascinate people around the world. Here are some frequently asked questions and fun facts about these special creatures.

1. How big are capybaras?

Capybaras are the largest rodent in the world. In fact, they are twice the size of beavers, the second largest rodent. Large females can weigh up to 91 kg, but generally range from 77 to 146 pounds. And they are about 20 inches tall (51 cm).

2. Where do capybaras live?

The natural habitat of capybaras is in South America. In fact, their range includes
Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela and Colombia all the way to Argentina. They are mostly found near water, such as in swamps and floodplains. They also graze in lowland forests and bushes.

3. Do capybaras swim?

While it’s hard to imagine guinea pigs swimming like beavers, capybaras love the water. In fact, its scientific name is – Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris – comes from the Greek term Hydrochaeriswhich means “water pig”.

Capybaras have evolved to live a semi-aquatic lifestyle, being able to move both on land and in water. Their partially webbed toes allow them to walk and swim in swampy, muddy wetlands. They are also strong swimmers. They can stay underwater for up to five minutes at a time, which comes in handy when dodging predators.

Capybaras like to cool off from the Amazon heat by dozing in the water, most often overlooking the riverbank. Like hippos, their eyes, nose, and ears are on the top of their heads, making it easy to keep these important senses above the water’s surface. This helps them stay alert to predators or other invaders in their territory.

4. Are capybaras fast?

While they bear no resemblance to cheetahs, capybaras are fast runners. In fact, they can reach speeds of 34 km/h on land. That’s about as fast as an average dog. This is impressive given the capybara’s large head and top-heavy body.

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Here is a video by Lev Serebryakov showing how fast capybaras can run:

5. What do capybaras eat?

Capybaras are herbivores that feed primarily on grasses and aquatic plants. In fact, an adult can eat up to 3.6 kg of weed every day. During the dry season, capybaras will eat other plant-based foods, including reeds and grains, as well as melon and squash.

Eat their own feces

You may have heard the rumor, but if you haven’t — capybaras are also known to eat their own poop. As gross as that may sound, it gives them nutritional benefits. The re-absorption of partially digested grass matter allows them to get extra nutrients from hard-to-digest grasses that they didn’t get the first time. There are also
Microbes in the feces, which helps increase the amount of healthy bacteria in their gut, which in turn supports their immune system.

Long, sharp teeth that keep growing

Like other rodents, capybara’s teeth never stop growing. However, their teeth will wear down as the capybara chews on grass, plants, and other vegetation. If capybaras don’t wear them down from eating, their teeth can grow excessively long, making it impossible for the capybara to eat at all.

6. What sounds do capybaras make?

As you may have heard in the previous video, capybaras are quite vocal and possess a repertoire of sounds they use to express themselves and communicate with the other members of their herd.

Capybara sounds range from clicking and purring when content, to sharp whistling, squeaking, and grunting, and barking or coughing, presumably when distressed. Female capybaras emit whistling sounds to attract males. And when men are aggressive, they grind their teeth.

Here is an audio clip from the BBC about capybara sounds.

7. Are capybaras friendly?

Capybara with a jacana bird catching a ride. Photo: Denis Doukhan.

Capybaras are known to be incredibly friendly animals. And it’s not just humans who find them adorable, other animals are attracted to them too. With their gentle and friendly nature, capybaras tolerate other animals, including birds and monkeys, perching on their backs. These relationships are often symbiotic, as the other animal has a free ride in cleaning and plucking insects from the capybara.

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Here is a video of Do you know animals? this shows how friendly capybaras are:

Very sociable

Capybaras live in large social groups called herds of 10-20 animals. However, when aquatic habitats become scarce, they can congregate in groups of 100. This social behavior provides capybaras protection from predators while increasing their chances of finding a mate, both of which help sustain their species.

pairing

When it comes to capybara courtship, the female calls the shots. She will whistle through her nose to attract males when she is in heat. During this time she will be closely guarded by the dominant male in the herd, however other males in the herd will try to win her favor.

It takes a village

Female capybaras typically have a litter of about four pups per year. The puppies will be weaned in about four months. Capybaras practice a behavior called alloparenting, which means that the females in the herd will care for their own pups as well as other females’ pups.

Capybara with pups.

8. How long do capybaras live?

The average lifespan of a capybara is 8-10 years.

9. Do capybaras have predators?

Capybaras have a few natural enemies. These include eagles, jaguars, cougars, ocelots and caimans (from the alligator family), as well as green anaconda snakes.

We humans are their predators too. In the kind of twisted reasoning only humans are capable of, some Venezuelan clergymen submitted a motion to the Vatican asking that capybaras be called fish because their meat appears to taste like fish. (To be clear, capybaras are mammals, not fish.)

The reason for the request was to allow Catholics to eat capybara during Lent, which is typically a time when Catholics avoid eating red meat. (Unfortunately, the priests missed the post by — on vegan seafood.)

Capybaras are also used for medical research. Researchers discovered that capybaras’ immune systems are genetically programmed to recognize and destroy cells that are dividing too quickly – a biological mechanism that can prevent cancer. Therefore, capybaras have attracted the interest of medical researchers.

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10. Are capybaras endangered?

Today, capybara populations are stable and they are listed as one of the least known species
Of concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

However, capybaras were once so heavily hunted for their meat in Venezuela that they were threatened with extinction. Thankfully, targeted conservation efforts have helped their populations recover. Capybaras are also hunted for their skin and meat in Brazil, but the practice is more regulated today than it was decades ago.

Other threats

Like other wild animals around the world, capybaras are threatened by habitat loss. These losses are due to deforestation through slash-and-burn agriculture and agricultural land expansion, as well as impacts on human development. Habitat loss can make it harder for capybaras to find enough nutritious food and impacts breeding success. Additionally, capybaras are considered by some people to be pests that compete with cattle for food and water and destroy crops such as sugar cane and rice plantations.

11. Are capybaras good pets?

Capybaras are known to be friendly and gentle creatures. And they are legal in some US states. However, they are still wild animals and are therefore very different from dogs and cats, which have been domesticated and coexisted with humans for centuries. In addition, capybaras are very sociable animals, used to living in large herds. So it would be unnecessarily cruel to isolate them from their natural community of other capybaras. If you can imagine aliens coming down and taking you away from your family and friends and making you live with them, you can imagine how a capybara might feel when it’s not with its herd.

Fortunately, there are other ways to enjoy capybaras. There are many YouTube videos featuring capybaras, as well as Instagram feeds dedicated to them. (Though either way, you’ll see capybaras in both their natural habitats and in domesticated situations.)

12. How can I help capybaras?

A number of non-profit organizations work to protect capybaras and their natural habitats. Here are a few:

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