It is the largest and heaviest rodent species in the world. Individuals can be solitary or found in large groups. One of its common names, capybara, comes from the Guarani word “kapiÿva,” which means “lord of the grass,” as it spends most of its time grazing. Its scientific name, Hydrochaeris, has Greek origins and means “water pig.”
Order: Rodentia | Family: Caviidae
Scientific name: Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
common name: Chigüiro, capibara
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Best season for capibara: All year round
Description
The capybara has a uniform coat of brown or cinnamon color, with adults having less dense fur than younger individuals. Its natural habitat primarily includes environments associated with aquatic ecosystems, such as floodplains, stream beds, dry forests, scrublands, savanna areas, humid forests, mangroves, and swamps. Like other rodents, it is a species that reproduces year-round and can have up to six young per litter; however, the number varies depending on the season. Throughout the regions where it inhabits, the capybara holds cultural significance for various human groups.
Reproduction
The capybara has a high reproductive potential. Individuals can reproduce continuously throughout the year, but peaks in reproduction occur at the beginning of the rainy season. Sexual maturity is reached at 15 months of age, and the average lifespan in the wild is about 10 years. The gestation period lasts approximately 150 days, and the female usually has a single annual litter, averaging 4 to 6 young. The young are born in open areas, not in any type of shelter or nest.
Habitat
Its enormous distribution area covers almost all of South America east of the Andes in the basins of the Orinoco River, the Amazon, and the Río de la Plata, covering the Colombian and Venezuelan plains, and extending to Guyana, Uruguay, Paraguay, and much of northern Argentina. It is primarily found in environments associated with aquatic ecosystems, such as flooded tropical savannas, inhabiting the life zones of tropical dry forests and tropical wet forests (Emmons, 1997). The capybara inhabits areas with dense vegetation, such as wet and dry forests, shrubland, and savannas, that are around significant bodies of water (rivers, lakes, swamps, creeks, mangroves, and other floodable areas) (Emmons, 1997).
Source: SIB Colombia
