Family Hydrochoeridae
The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
The capybara is semi-aquatic herbivorous mammal of the Hydrochoeridae family. In the language of the Guarani Indians, capybara means “master of the grasses.” The capybara is the largest extant rodent in the world. Its body length reaches 1.5 meters and it weighs around sixty kilograms. The appearance of this animal is unique but it slightly resembles the Guinea pig; it has similar cute face, small ears, and sensitive nose. Each of the front feet has four toes, while the hind feet have only three toes and are partially webbed. The capybara is a strong swimmer and is able to stay underwater for up to five minutes at a time; the location of the eyes, ears, and nostrils on top of the head makes capybaras well-adapted to semi-aquatic life. These amazing animals eat grasses and aquatic plants, tubers, fruits, and hay. Capybaras are social animals living in groups of 10 to 20 individuals. Each group consists of the dominant male, several adult females (with their own hierarchy), young, and subordinal males which stay in the periphery of the group home territory. Dominant male may chase competing males out of the group but fights are uncommon since capybaras are nor aggressive. The sizes of the groups are different depending on the season: in the dry season hundreds of capybaras may congregate around water reservoirs. Capybaras mate in the water. Gestation lasts about 150 days; 2 to 8 young are born on land. Capybara young are very well developed at birth: they are furred, weigh about 1.5 kg, can see, and have emerged teeth. All females in the group participate in raising the young which are able to follow their mother and eat grass soon after birth. However, they are not completely weaned till the age of 3 to 4 months. Females are able to produce 2 or 3 litters per year in favorable conditions but one litter per year is more common.
