The biggest rodent
A capybara can weigh as much as a grown person. It is a close relative of the guinea pig.
Amazon river
Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
A barrel-shaped, brown animal like a giant guinea pig, with a blunt square head and no tail.
- Size
- About 1.2m long: the biggest rodent
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Riverbanks, lakes and marshes across South America
Paddles after you, calm as ever. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Capybara
Good to know
Six things about the capybara
Webbed feet
Its toes are partly webbed, and it can stay under water for five minutes.
Eyes, ears and nose on top
Like a hippo, it can keep watch with just the top of its head above water.
Everyone's friend
Birds, monkeys and even caimans are seen sitting calmly on or beside capybaras.
Eating it twice
It eats some of its own droppings in the morning, to get more goodness out of tough grass.
Living in groups
They live in groups of ten to twenty, and bark like dogs when they are alarmed.
The real thing
Photos of the capybara
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Capybaras are easy to see, lying about in groups on riverbanks and lake shores. In some South American cities they graze in the parks.
How to help
Capybaras are common. Keeping wetlands wet, and not draining them for farmland, keeps it that way.
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