Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Capybara

Adult female nursing.

Conservation status

Minor concern(IUCN)1
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Filament: Chordata
Class: Mammals
Order: Rodentia
Suborder: Hystricognathi
Family: Caviidae
Gender: Hydrochoerus
H. hydrochaeris
Species:
LINNAEUS, 1766
Distribution
Capybara, capybara, chigüiro, chigüire, punch, capybara (Hydrochoerus)
hydrochaeris), is aspeciesofrodentfrom thefamilyof thecavities. It is the living rodent
the largest and heaviest in the world. It lives in herds in tropical climate regions and
always tempered close to the water inwetlandsfrom the eastPanamaand inSouth America, the
north and east of theAndes, to the center of theArgentina. It is related to the
aguatis, chinchillas, coatis and guinea pigs.2

It has a heavy barrel-shaped body and a small head, with brown fur.
reddish on the upper part of the body that turns brownish yellow on the lower part.
They can grow up to 130 cm long and weigh up to 65 kg. They have slightly
palmated, practically lack a tail and have 20 teeth. Their hind legs are
somewhat longer than the previous ones, and the snouts are blunt, with eyes, nostrils, and ears
on the top of the head. Females are a little heavier than males.2

Index
1 Name
2 Morphology
o2.1 Body and Fur
o2.2 Head and teeth
3 Distribution and Habitat
4 Behavior
o4.1 Activity
o4.2 Social life
o 4.3 Nutrition
o 4.4 Reproduction
o4.5 Natural Enemies
5 Relationship with humans
o5.1 Hunting and Uses
o5.2 Its production in captivity as a commercial animal
 6 Conservation and threats
7 Systematics and taxonomy
8 Pets
9 References
10 Bibliography
11 External links

Name
One of its common names, capybara, comes from theguaranithe goose,3means 'lord of'
the grass,4while its scientific name hydrochaeris means 'water pig' in
Greek.2Although many of the ways to name this species often migrate between
regions (and in many cases they come from names of indigenous origin), the most common
(and which are often frequently used in recognizable geographic areas) are:

Country Name
ArgentinaCapybara, capybara, capybara, water pig, river pig, river pig.
Bolivia Capybara, capybara, capybara, capybara, capybara.
Brazil Capybara.
ColombiaCapybara, gua gua, guagua, jomo (in the eastern plains) and ponche.
EcuadorCapybara, capybara.
PanamaPoncho, capybara, chigüiro
ParaguayCapybara, capybara, capybara of the water.
Peru Ronsoco.
UruguayCapybara, capybara, and capybara.
VenezuelaCapybara, capybara, and piro-piro.

Morphology
Body and fur

A specimen in theBeni River, Bolivia.

The body, which lacks a tail,5it is solid and round, with a thick trunk and four
short legs. The front legsoreThey have four fingers in the front, and three in the back.
exposed in a radial manner. The thick, hoof-like fingers exhibit some
small membranes that connect them interdigitally. The capybaras achieve a
length from 100 to 130 cm and a height at the back of 50 to 60 cm6and the females tend to be
a little larger than the males. The average weight is 50 kg in the males and 61 in the females.
females; however, the actual weight can vary between 27 and 65 kg.7 8 9The extinct Neochoerus
suicide will be significantly larger.

The fur is long and coarse, but in some parts it is so fine that the skin can be seen.
through it. This makes them animals prone to sunstroke, and to prevent it,
they roll in the mud to protect their skin from the sun. 10The coloration ranges from a brown
reddish to gray on the top, while the bottom has a brown color
yellow. Some specimens have black spots on the face, on the outer side of the
legs and at the back, the length of the hair ranges from 30 to 120 millimeters.

Head and teeth

Its skull resembles that of its relatives [Link], even in the same
general proportions.

Detailed view of the incisors.

They have a notably wide and large head. In relation to their relatives more
next to the capybara, thesnoutit is larger and rounder, while thenostrilsson
small and are quite separated. In male specimens, the tip of the snout is
bald and endowed with a prominence corresponding to the olfactory gland. The ears are
small and round, while the eyes are located on the sides and also
They are small. Like in many animals that have a partially lifestyle.
Aquatic, the eyes, ears, and nostrils of the capybara are located on the part
superior of the head,5 so that when they come out to breathe from the water or to observe what
they are surrounded, barely standing out from the surface.11

Thedental formulaof this animal is 1-0-1-3; which means that each half of
jawpresent a toothincisive, onepremolarand threemolars, with a total of twenty
teeth.10The white incisors are equipped with a groove, as in all rodents,
they are enlarged and transformed into rootless incisors. Behind the incisors opens a
designated spacediastema. The back teeth also do not have roots and have a
morphologycomplex; consist ofdental enamel prismsin the shape of a heart or of
bars, that are separated by layers of cement. Like in other rodents, the teeth
Incisors and molars of capybaras grow constantly to compensate for wear.
4
I continue to wonder what causes eating so much grass.

Distribution and habitat

Its geonemia is divided into two disjoint areas.

The smallest area extends to the east of thePanama, to the east of the basin of
Panama Canal, theDarien, the north ofColombia, and the northwest ofVenezuela.
The largest area encompasses almost all of South America east of theAndesin the
river basinsOrinoco, ofAmazonand of theRiver Plate; covering from the
this is Venezuela and theGuyanauntil theUruguayand the north and center of the
Argentina.6

Each of the two regions has its corresponding subspecies: Hydrochoerus

hydrochaeris isthmiusque is the one that lives in the northwestern part. It has a size
smaller than the Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris hydrochaeris, which lives in the larger region,
to the east of the Andes.

They can live in different types ofhabitat, but show preference for some in
concrete. They are usually found nearlagos, rivers, marshesomangroves.6Also
They need a firm ground to sleep on, ideally with dense vegetation that serves them.
of protection. To feed, they have no problem venturing into theblankety
herbaceous. The highest population density of capybaras is found in the extensive
wetlands of South America, such as thePantanal, or the region of theLlanosfrom the north of
continent, bathed by theOrinoco. They mostly live in the plains, but also
they inhabit altitudes of up to 1300 meters above sea level. In comparison with
other animal species from South America, capybaras tolerate changes quite well.
habitats caused by human activity, and they can also survive in areas
transformed into plantations or pastures.

Behavior
Activity

A specimen swimming in theIberá Marshes.

Capybaras are primarily crepuscular animals. They spend the heat of the day in
holes in the mud or in the waters. 6To sleep, they hide among the vegetation.
thick; they do not need any cave. Instead, in areas where they are disturbed by
human activities change and adopt a nightlife lifestyle.

If a capybara senses danger, it warns the others with a short bark, and immediately
everyone runs jogging at a speed comparable to that of a horse in order to get to
except in the water. They can dive and stay underwater for up to five minutes, and they are
capable of swimming with the entire body submerged except for the ears, the nostrils and the
eyes. Another expert swimmer from South America, belonging to another family of rodents, is the
coipo(Myocastor coypus). Although they sometimes also hide among vegetation.
thick.

Charles Darwin described the behavior of this species as follows:

During the day they are stretched out among the aquatic plants or they calmly graze the
grass of the plain. Viewed from a distance, their movement and color make them seem like the
pigs; but when they are sitting, watching attentively everything that happens, they return to
acquire the appearance of their counterparts the cavies and the rabbits.

Social life

They live in groups, which can be made up of a pair and their offspring, or by a group.
larger adult specimens. The size of the groups varies between six and twenty.
animals. In some rare cases, solitary specimens can also be observed, almost
always adult males.

The size of the groups and their lifestyle depends on the season of the year and the habitat.
During the rainy season, they spread over a large region, such that it decreases the
group size. During this season, they eat a lot and build up a fat reserve.
The rearing of newborns also primarily occurs during the season.
rainy, During the dry season, many specimens gather around the rivers and
larger lakes, forming larger groups. During this season, the mortality
it is significantly higher, as it increases hunger and diseases and with the
the disappearance of the plants that serve as protection, capybaras are more vulnerable to
the attacks of the predators. Researchers from Venezuela indicate an average of the groups
of 5.6 animals during the rainy season and 15.9 in the month of March, the driest.
prolonged periods of dryness can form large groups of up to a hundred
specimens, that gather near the remaining waters. Although these groupings are
unstable and do not last long.

Front view of a specimen.

Each group, whether family or mixed, is led by a dominant male.11what

normally occupies this position for many years. Then one or several come.
Females with their offspring and sometimes subordinate males also form part of the group.
The hierarchy is usually stable and well defined both among the males and among the females.
females, and it is established through partially aggressive fights.

Each group inhabits a territory of between 5 and17hectares.12Although animals usually

remain within a region of approximately 10 hectares in area, which defend against
the incursions of other specimens of the same species. They mark the territory by means of
odoriferous glands;12In males, they are located on the nose, and both sexes
they have in the anal region (anal glands).

They communicate with each other through a variety of vocalizations. Among them there is a
sound similar to the purring of cats, indicating submission, an alarm cry similar
a dog barking, a click that expresses happiness, sharp whistles and
growls.13

Nutrition
The diet consists mainly of terrestrial grass and is occasionally supplemented.
with aquatic plants. Sometimes they enter plantations and feed, for example, fromcane
of sugar, watermelonso corn. The widespread belief that fish are also part of the
the capybara diet is false. They have an extremely efficient digestive system that
allows them to survive on a diet that is composed of only between four and six 75%.
species of plants,14and then they stop eating it for a while, allowing the
plants of this species recover before being eaten again.15

Its digestive system has various adaptations to its diet, such as a longer intestine.
and ablindin the form of an enlarged bag. Similarly to othersrodents, like the
guinea pig, or thelagomorphs, the capybaras practice thecoprophagiaor occasional ingestion of
theexcrements. Cecal feces are a soft and adhesive form of excrement, which
they arefermentedfor somebacteriaspecials in the blind, and that are ingested again
immediately after excretion, in this way, they can extract the maximum of
nutrients from their rich foods incellulose.6When the excrements are expelled
definitely for the second time, they are oval and dry.

Capybaras, like theguinea pigs, they cannot producevitamin Con their own, in a way
that must obtain it through their diet. In some specimens in captivity,
that had evidently been poorly nourished, cases of scurvy have been observed.16

Reproduction

Offspring of this species with their mother.

A few months old capybara.

The male is the one who takes the initiative in copulation, as he is the one who pursues.
female, first on land and then in the water. Mating takes place in waters
shallow, after six to eight quick thrusts, the sexual act comes to an end.
Intercourse can be repeated after a while, up to twenty times or with the same partner.
or with different partners.

The pairing can take place at any time of the year, but most
births usually occur in the rainy season (from April to May in northern South America and
in October to the south of the continent). Generally, each female gives birth once a year, but if
The weather conditions are favorable, they can do it twice. The period of
gestationIt lasts about 110 days in the northern subspecies and about 150 in the southern.
Capybaras are multiparous, and each birth consists of an average of four offspring, but
it can vary between two and eight. 17The females have ten nipples that are placed
in pairs in the womb.

They do not build nests, and can give birth anywhere in their territory. The young are
markedly precocious, weigh approximately1500gAt birth, they have a coat.
complete and with permanent teeth. Shortly after birth, the young are capable
they eat grass and become independent after three or four months. The young ones
they form their own group within the main groupl.54Both sexes assume maturity
sexual approximately at the age of twenty-two months.5

Their longevity in the wild varies between eight and ten years, while individuals
In captivity, they can live up to twelve years.6

Natural enemies

Their most important natural predators are mainlyofelidslike thejaguaror the

ocelot, but also thewild foxesand thecrocodiles. Sometimes, the offspring are victims
of birds of prey such as the harpy eagle, or reptiles like the anaconda.6