The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ^[1][3][4]), also known as capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish,^[5][6][7] and capivara in Portuguese,^[6] is the largest living rodent in the world.^[8] Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs.^[9] Its common name, derived from Kapiÿva in the Guarani language,^[6] means "master of the grasses"^[10] while its scientific name, both hydrochoerus and hydrochaeris, comes from Greek ὕδωρ (ýdor = water) + χοίρος (choiros = pig, hog).

Capybaras have heavy, barrel-shaped bodies and short heads with reddish-brown fur on the upper part of their body that turns yellowish-brown underneath. Adult capybaras may grow to 130 centimetres (4.3 ft) in length, and weigh up to 65 kg (140 lb).^[11][12][13] The top recorded weight is 105.4 kg (232 lbs).^[14] Capybaras have slightly webbed feet, no tail,^[15] and 20 teeth.^[16] Their back legs are slightly longer than their front legs and their muzzles are blunt with eyes, nostrils, and ears on top of their head.^[15] Females are slightly heavier than males. Females: 36 to 66 kg (80 to 145 pounds). Males: 34 to 61 kilograms (75 to 135 pounds).

Contents 1 Fossil record and other species 2 Ecology 2.1 Diet and predation 3 Natural history 3.1 Reproduction 3.2 Activities 4 Conservation and human interaction 5 See also 6 References

[edit] Fossil record and other species

Though now extinct, a larger capybara called Neochoerus pinckneyi once existed in North America, having invaded that continent during the Great American Interchange that followed formation of the Isthmus of Panama. Other fossil caviomorphs that were eight times the size of modern capybaras have been called "capybaras" by the popular press, but were actually dinomyids related to the pacarana.^[15][16] There is also an extant "lesser capybara", Hydrochoerus isthmius, with a disjoint range in Colombia, Venezuela and Panama.^[3]

[edit] Ecology

Capybara are semi-aquatic mammals^[13] found wild in much of South America (including Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana, Uruguay, Peru, and Paraguay^[10]) in densely forested areas near bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds and marshes,^[11] as well as flooded savannah and along rivers in tropical forest.^[15] They roam in home ranges of 25–50 acres (10–20 ha).^[16]

Many escapees from captivity can also be found in similar watery habitats around the world. Sightings are fairly common in Florida, although a breeding population has not yet been confirmed.^[17] Though it has been erroneously stated that a population of capybara existed in the River Arno in Florence, Italy, this was determined to be the nutria or coypu (Myocastor coypus), a considerably smaller South American aquatic rodent with a similar appearance.

[edit] Diet and predation

Capybaras are herbivores, grazing mainly on grasses and aquatic plants,^[5][11] as well as fruit and tree bark.^[13] An adult capybara will eat 6 to 8 pounds (2.7 to 3.6 kg) of grasses per day.^[16] Capybara are very selective feeders with four to six plant species make 75% of its diet.^[18] They will select the leaves of one species and disregard other species surrounding it.^[19] Capybaras even a greater variety of plants during the dry season as there is less plants available. While they eat grass during the wet season have switch to reeds during the dry season as they are more abundant.^[19] Plants that capybaras eat during the summer lose their nutritional value in the winter and the thus not consumed at that time.^[18] The capybara's jaw hinge is non-perpendicular and they thus chew food by grinding back and forth rather than side-to-side.^[8] Capybaras are coprophagous, meaning they eat their own feces as a source of bacterial gut flora and to help digest the cellulose in the grass that forms their normal diet and extract the maximum protein from their food. They may also regurgitate food to masticate again, similar to cud-chewing by a cow.^[20]

Like its cousin the guinea pig, the capybara does not have the capacity to synthesize vitamin C, and capybaras unsupplemented with vitamin C in captivity have been reported to develop gum disease as a sign of scurvy. ^[21]

They can have a life span of 8-10 years in the wild^[22] but average a life less than four years as they are "a favourite food of jaguar, puma, ocelot, eagle and caiman".^[10] The capybara is the preferred prey of the anaconda.^[23]

[edit] Natural history

Capybaras are very gregarious. While they do sometimes live solitarily they are more commonly found in groups that average 10-20 individuals. With 2-4 of them being adult males, 4-7 being adult females and the rest being juveniles.^[24] Capybara groups can be as as 50 or 100 individuals during the dry season.^[20][25] were the animals gather around available water sources. Males are organized in stable, linear hierarchies. The dominant male in each group is significantly heavier than any of the subordinates, but among subordinates, status is not correlated with weight.^[26] The dominant male is positioned in the center of the group while subordinates are on the periphery. These hierarchies are established early in life among the young with play fights and mock copulations.^[24] Capybaras are very vocal and, when in groups, chatter with each other to establish social bonds, dominance or general group census.^[25] They can make a dog-like bark which is made when the animals are threaten or when females are herding young.^[27] The bark of a capybara is often mistaken for that of a dog.^[20]

Capybara have two different scent glands; a morillo, located on the snout, and an anal gland. Both sexes have those glands but males have larger morillos and their anal pockets can open more easily. The anal glands of males are also lined with detachable hairs. A crystalline form of scent secretion is coated on these hairs and are release when in contact with objects like plants. These hairs have a longer lasting scent mark and are tasted by other capybaras.^[28] A capybaras marks by rubbing its morillo on an object or by walking over a scrub and marking with its anal gland. A cabypara can spread its scent further by urinating.^[28] However females usually mark without urinating and mark less frequently than males overall. Females mark more often during the wet season when they are in estrous. In addition to objects, males will also mark females. ^[28]

[edit] Reproduction

Capybaras reach sexual maturity within 22 months.^[15] When in estrous, the females scent changes subtlety and nearby males begin pursuit.^[26] In addition, a female will alert males that she is in estrous by emitting a whistling noise though her nostrils.^[20] During mating, the female has the advantage and mating choice. Capybara mates only in the water if a female does not want to mate with a certain male she will either submerge or leave the water. ^[20][25] The most dominant males have access to the best resources. ^[26] Dominant males are highly protective of the females, however they usually can’t prevent all the subordinates from copulating.^[26] The larger the group, the harder it is for the male watch all the females. Dominant male secure significantly more matings than each subordinate, but subordinate males, as a class, are responsible for more matings than each dominant male. ^[26] The lifespan of the capybaras sperm is larger than that of other rodents,^[29] which is useful for a species that has sperm competition.

Capybara gestation is 130–150 days and usually produces a litter of four capybara babies, but may produce between two and eight in a single litter.^[12] Birth is on land and the female will rejoin the group within a few hours of delivering the newborn capybaras, who will join the group as soon as they are mobile. Within a week the young can eat grass, but will continue to suckle - from any female in the group - until weaned at about 16 weeks. Youngsters will form a group within the main group.^[10][15] Alloparenting has been observed in this species. ^[25] The rainy season of April and May mark the peak breeding season.^[6] Like other rodents, the front teeth of capybaras grow continually to compensate for the constant wearing-down from eating grasses;^[10] their cheek teeth also grow continuously.^[8] When fully grown, a capybara will have coarse hair that is sparsely spread over their skin, making the capybara prone to sunburn. To prevent this, they may roll in mud to protect their skin from the sun.^[16]

[edit] Activities

Capybaras are excellent swimmers and can survive completely underwater for up to five minutes,^[11] an ability they will use to evade predators.^{[citation needed]} If necessary, a capybara can sleep underwater, keeping its nose just over the waterline.^{[citation needed]}

During midday, as temperatures increase, capybaras wallow in water and graze in late afternoons and early evenings when it is cooler. They sleep little, usually dozing off and on throughout the day and grazing into and through the night.^[15]

[edit] Conservation and human interaction

Capybara are not on the IUCN list^[9] and therefore not considered a threatened species; their population is stable through most of their South American ranges, though in some areas hunting has reduced their numbers.^[10][11]

Capybaras are hunted for their meat and pelts in some areas,^[7] and otherwise killed by humans who see their grazing as competition for livestock. In some areas they are farmed, which has the effect of ensuring that the wetland habitats are protected. Their survival is aided by their ability to breed rapidly.^[10]

Capybaras can be found in many areas in zoos and parks,^[8]and may live for 12 years in captivity.^[10] Capybaras are gentle and will usually allow humans to pet and hand-feed them. Some ranchers hunt them for fear of the competition for grazing.

The meat is said to look like pork.^[6] During Lent, capybara meat is especially popular in parts of South America, especially in Venezuela, as it is claimed that the Catholic Church, in a special dispensation, allowed capybara meat to be consumed on days that consumption of meat was otherwise not allowed. There are differing accounts of how the dispensation arose.^[6][16][30] Capybaras are occasionally kept as pets in the United States^[31] and in Canada.

[edit] See also

• Beaver

[edit] References

v · d · eExtant species of family Caviidae (Cavies) Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Mammalia · Order: Rodentia · Suborder: Hystricomorpha Caviinae Galea (Yellow-toothed cavies) Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea flavidens) · Common Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea musteloides) · Spix's Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea spixii) · Muenster Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea monasteriensis) Microcavia (Mountain cavies) Southern Mountain Cavy (Microcavia australis) · Andean Mountain Cavy (Microcavia niata) · Shipton's Mountain Cavy (Microcavia shiptoni) Cavia (Guinea pigs) Brazilian Guinea Pig (Cavia aperea) · Shiny Guinea Pig (Cavia fulgida) · Santa Catarina´s Guinea Pig (Cavia intermedia) · Greater Guinea Pig (Cavia magna) · Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) · Montane Guinea Pig (Cavia tschudii) Dolichotinae Dolichotis (Maras) Patagonian Mara (Dolichotis patagonum) · Chacoan Mara (Dolichotis salinicola) Hydrochaerinae Hydrochoerus Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) · Lesser Capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius) Kerodon (Rock cavies) Rock Cavy (Kerodon rupestris) · Acrobatic cavy (Kerodon acrobata) Category