To help protect wild capybaras and all animals that share their rainforest habitat, the Central Suriname Nature Reserve was established in the year 2000. Although capybaras are at stable populations in the wild, they are often hunted by locals as a food source and are losing their homes due to deforestation and human encroachment. The conservation status of the capybara is currently listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Capybaras develop quickly and have been observed starting to eat grasses as early as one or two days old, but also continue to nurse for up to 16 weeks. Baby capybaras are able to walk shortly after birth. The typical gestation period is five to six months. At Happy Hollow, the capybaras eat grass hay, specially formulated rodent pellets, beet pulp, fruits and vegetables.įemale capybaras usually give birth to one litter of young per year, though if conditions permit, a second litter may be born later in the year. Capybaras have also been known to participate in caecotrophy (eating their own feces to absorb more nutrients). They chew from side to side rather than up and down, grinding tough plants up more efficiently with their long rows of flat molars. Capybaras can eat six to eight pounds of plant material each day. In the wild, capybaras eat the plants and grasses that grow in the marshy areas in which they live.
Their predators include anacondas, jaguars, ocelots and caiman.
They can also hold their breath for up to five minutes! Once thought to be diurnal, capybaras are now known to be crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk), and may even forage at night to avoid predators. It is thought that by using the water as a toilet, it will wash away or reduce the scent of the capybaras, making it less likely for predators to find them. These rodents nearly always defecate in the water. While these habitats provide an abundance of food, capybaras use moving water for another purpose. Capybaras are often found in or near water. They also communicate through scent, as capybaras have scent glands located on the top of their noses. The variety of vocal calls allows for mothers to communicate with young, males with females, and to send warning calls within a group when a predator is near. They communicate with one another through a variety of barks, chuffs, chirps and clicks. They are covered in coarse hair and have partially webbed toes that allow them to glide through the water and stay atop muddy marshlands without sinking.Ĭapybaras are social animals and typically live in groups of 10 to 30 individuals led by a dominant male, though groups have been recorded at up to 100 individuals. As prey animals, their eyes are located on the sides of their heads for maximized peripheral vision. They have barrel-shaped bodies with rectangular heads. They stand about two feet tall and can weigh up to 150 pounds.
As a relative of the guinea pig, capybaras look like a super-sized version of their smaller cousins. Habitat: Subtropical and Tropical Forest, Wetland Lifespan: 8 to 10 years in the wild Up to 12 years in captivityĬapybaras are the largest rodents in the world.
Scientific name: Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
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