Capybara

Also known as greater capybara, true capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

The capybara or greater capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest living rodent, native to all countries in South America except Chile. It is a semiaquatic herbivore that inhabits savannas and dense forests, living near and in bodies of water and feeding mainly on grasses and aquatic plants.

AI overview

The capybara is the world's largest living rodent, native to South America where it lives in and around bodies of water in savannas and forests. As a semiaquatic herbivore that eats grasses and aquatic plants, it plays a role in South American ecosystems as a large plant-eating mammal adapted to wetland environments.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Mass: 48.9
Image: Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrachaeris) female and young suckling ... (48427191032).jpg

Show 11 more facts

taxon name: Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
Commons category: Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
Commons gallery: Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
taxon common name: خنزير الماء
gestation period: 150
litter size: 4
longest observed lifespan: 15.1
sequenced genome URL: www.dnazoo.org/assemblies/Hydrochoerus_hydrochaeris
hashtag: capybara
nickname: masbro
short name: H. hydrochaeris

Sources (8)

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~14 min read

Article

15 sections

Contents

Etymology
Classification and phylogeny
Description
Ecology
Diet and predation
Social organization
Reproduction
Activities
Communication
Conservation and human interaction
In popular culture
See also
Notes
References
External links

Together with the lesser capybara, it constitutes the genus Hydrochoerus. Its other close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the nutria.