Habitat: Amazon Riverbank, swamps, ponds, and grassy regions bordering the river
Distribution: Southern Central America & Northern South America
Wild Numbers: Estimated more than 3.5 million across nine countries.
Size: 50cm – 65cm at the shoulder [h] & 1m – 1.3m [L]
Weight: 35kg – 70kg.
Lifespan: Up to 7 years.
Diet:  Herbivore – grazing on grasses and water plants.
Reproduction: 7 - 8 months gestation. Birth 4 to 5 young. 
Care for Young: Females in the group share the care duties of young including suckling.
Conservation Status: PS – Population Stable.
Environmental Threats: Major threats are habitat loss due to industrial expansion such as agriculture and human sprawl.
 

Better Together

Peaceful and generally quite calm, Capybaras are social animals living in troops of between 10 and 20 animals, sometimes more. These troops are made up of extended family members where there is one dominant male who leads most of the mating. They have also been known to interact with other rainforest animals like monkeys and birds.

Sometimes referred to as the hippopotamus of the rodent world, water is a source of life for the semi-aquatic Capybara. With webbed feet to help navigate the waters of the Amazon and eyes, ears and nose placed perfectly towards the top of their large head, swimming, napping, diving, and mating in the water becomes an easy task for this curious creature.

Capybaras regurgitate their food to chew it again and again. Like a camel they chew from side to side not up and down. Like other rodents and rabbits, the front teeth of capybaras grow continually to compensate for the constant wear from eating grasses, their cheek teeth also grow continuously.
 

Capybaras are coprophagous, meaning they eat their own POO! This a great source of bacterial gut flora, to help digest the tough grasses that love to munch on. Eating poo also helps to extract the maximum protein and vitamins from their food.

Large and loud, these rodents like to express themselves and communicate by purring, barking, cackling, whistling, squealing, whining, grunting and teeth-chattering. This South American symphony has harmonic differences among social groups with each sound delivering a different message and meaning.