Capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris)

Capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris)
(aka Hydrochoerus hydrochoeris according to Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil
December 2006

The Capybara is the world's largest living rodent and can reach a weight of over 60 kilos. They have 4 toes on the front feet and 3 on the rear and the toes are connected by a partial web to help them swim and walk on mud.

They are vegetarian and are found in marshes and along rivers and streams from Panama to northern Argentina.

They usually travel in small herds with a dominant male, several adult females with young and young males as subordinate members.

Their main predators are the Jaguar (Panthera onca) and the Anaconda (Eunectes murinus).

There is an illustration in Eisenberg, Page 461.

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