“Birds, monkeys, and other animals sometimes rest or perch on capybaras.”
The capybara is the world's largest living rodent, a social grazer closely tied to South American rivers, marshes, and flooded grasslands. Webbed feet and high-set eyes help herds swim, rest in water, and escape predators.
By An Nguyen · Published · Updated
Measured against the 176 species profiled on this site. Each figure is converted to one unit system from the published range on the page, so the ranks are computed, not quoted.
| Measure | This species | Rank here | Exceeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body mass | 66.2 kg | #60 of 176#44 of 90 Mammalia | 66% |
| Body length | 1.34 m | #79 of 176#51 of 90 Mammalia | 55% |
| Top speed | 35.4 km/h | #53 of 75#36 of 46 Mammalia | 28% |
| Lifespan in the wild | 10 yr | #123 of 169#71 of 85 Mammalia | 20% |
Closest in body mass
Ranks use the upper end of each published adult range, so they compare typical large adults rather than records, and metrics with no published number are left out rather than estimated. The full table is downloadable from the species dataset, and any two species can be put side by side in the comparison tool.
Browse capybara photographs—from swimming herds and pups to quiet interactions with wetland wildlife.
Click any photo to view it larger. 8 images available.
Core article
A closer look at habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and conservation.
The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest living rodent, a semi-aquatic herbivore of South America's wetlands and river basins. Birds, turtles, and monkeys sometimes perch on resting capybaras. As grazing mammals, capybaras convert marsh vegetation into food for predators in the Neotropical wetland food web.
An adult reaches 3.5 to 4.4 feet long, stands 20 to 24 inches at the shoulder, and weighs 77 to 146 pounds — females typically heavier than males — on a blunt, barrel-shaped, tailless body. Several features suit a semi-aquatic life: eyes, small ears, and nostrils sit high on the skull, so the animal can stay nearly submerged in murky water and still see, hear, and breathe — a defense against jaguars. The feet are slightly webbed with strong claws for muddy banks and swimming, and the coarse, sparse hair dries quickly. Lacking sweat glands, capybaras cool themselves behaviorally, wallowing in water or mud through the heat of the day. They belong to the family Caviidae with guinea pigs and cavies.
Capybaras live in every South American country except Chile, throughout the Amazon, Orinoco, and Paraná basins. They remain close to permanent water in rainforest rivers, marshes, flooded savannas such as Venezuela's Llanos and Brazil's Pantanal, and gallery forest along lakes. In the wet season their habitat expands as rivers overflow their banks; in the dry season they gather around the remaining waterholes.
Capybaras are strict herbivores, grazing selectively on high-protein grasses and soft aquatic plants in the wet season and switching to tough reeds, fruit, and even bark when good forage runs short. Their ever-growing incisors — several inches a year — are kept in check by constant grinding on abrasive grass. Lacking a ruminant's stomach, they ferment cellulose in an enormous cecum full of microbes, and to squeeze the most from it they practice coprophagy: each morning they re-eat their own nutrient-rich soft feces to absorb the protein and vitamins their gut bacteria produced overnight.
Capybaras are social, living in family groups of 10 to 20 — a dominant male, subordinate males, related females, and young — that may merge into temporary groups of 100 or more around dry-season water. The dominant male holds his place by size and aggression and marks it chemically with the morrillo, a dark scent gland on top of his snout that he rubs on reeds. Tolerance within the group reduces conflict and helps members detect and flee predators.
Mating often happens in the water, timed so pups arrive with the rains and fresh grass. After about 150 days' gestation — long for a rodent — a female bears 1 to 8 pups (about 4 on average), born furred, eyes open, and already able to run and swim within hours. They graze within a week but nurse for roughly 16 weeks, and the herd shares the work: females often let any pup nurse, which lifts survival. Capybaras mature at around 18 months; heavy predation by jaguars and anacondas holds wild lifespan to 6 to 10 years, though sheltered captives reach 12.
The IUCN lists the capybara as Least Concern — abundant, widespread, and buffered by a fast breeding rate. It is heavily used by people, though: hunted across its range for meat (a delicacy in parts of South America, especially in Venezuela during Lent) and for hide tanned into fine leather. Regulated harvest in Venezuela has kept populations stable, but unregulated poaching persists. Clearing wetlands and gallery forest for cattle and soy removes cover, even as capybaras sometimes thrive in the cattle pasture that replaces it — where they are then hunted as crop pests.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Order
Rodentia
Family
Caviidae
Genus
Hydrochoerus
Species
H. hydrochaeris
Birds, monkeys, and other animals sometimes rest or perch on capybaras.
The capybara is the world's largest living rodent, outweighing a beaver by more than five times.
Capybaras are excellent swimmers and can stay submerged for up to 5 minutes to hide from predators.
Their teeth grow continuously throughout their life to compensate for the wear of chewing tough grasses.
Capybaras practice coprophagy—eating their own droppings—to extract extra nutrients from difficult plant material.
A group of capybaras is called a herd, and herds can number up to 100 individuals during the dry season.
Select a question to reveal the answer.
Capybaras have a naturally docile temperament and are highly social with many species. Scientists believe their calm behavior helps them coexist peacefully in groups and around water where many species meet.
Capybaras live in South America near rivers, lakes, marshes, and wetlands. They are found in many countries including Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Argentina.
Capybaras are herbivores. They eat grasses, aquatic plants, fruits, reeds, and sometimes tree bark. They spend much of the day grazing near water.
Adults are 3.5 to 4.4 feet (1–1.3 m) long and can weigh up to 146 pounds (66 kg). They are the largest rodent species on Earth.
Yes. Capybaras are excellent swimmers. Their webbed feet and high-set eyes and nostrils let them move and breathe while nearly fully submerged. They can stay underwater for up to 5 minutes.
No. Capybaras are listed as Least Concern. They have a wide range and stable population across South America, though they are hunted for their meat and hide in some regions.
Yes. Birds, monkeys, and other small animals are frequently photographed perching or resting on capybaras. The capybara's calm nature and flat back make it an inviting platform.
Capybaras are preyed on by jaguars, caimans, anacondas, pumas, and ocelots. They rely on water, herding, and speed to escape danger.
Wild capybaras typically live 6 to 10 years. In captivity, with steady food and medical care, they may live up to 12 years.
Yes. Capybaras belong to the family Caviidae, which also includes guinea pigs. Despite the size difference, they share many biological traits.
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