The capybara is a large rodent of the genus Hydrochoerus of which the only other extant member is the lesser capybara. The capybara is the largest rodent in the world.

Capybaras got their name from the Tupi language from Brazil. Their literal translation means “one who eats slender leaves”.



They are kept in captivity as pets.



Quick Stats

Scientific name: Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Origin: South America with the exception of Chile

Height: 50 – 64 cm (Adult, at the withers)

Weight: 35 – 66 kg (Adult)

Length : 3.48 to 4.40 feet or 106 to 134 cm

Life span : 8–10 years on average

Gestation Period: 130–150 days

Litter Size: 4 capybara babies on average may produce up to eight in a single litter

Close relatives: Guinea pigs and rock cavies,



Description

The capybara has a heavy, barrel-shaped body and short head, with reddish-brown fur on the upper part of its body that turns yellowish-brown underneath. Its sweat glands can be found in the surface of the hairy portions of its skin, an unusual trait among rodents

The animal lacks under hair, and guard hair differs little from over hair. Adult capybaras grow to 150 to 212 cm (4.92 to 6.96 ft) in length, stand 70 to 112 cm (28 to 44 in) tall at the withers, and typically weigh 35 to 66 kg (77 to 146 lb.

The top recorded weights are 91 kg (201 lb) for a wild female from Brazil and 73.5 kg (162 lb) for a wild male from Uruguay.

Capybaras have slightly webbed feet and short vestigial tails.

Their hind legs are slightly longer than their forelegs; they have three toes on their rear feet and four toes on their front feet.

Their muzzles are blunt, with nostrils, and the eyes and ears are near the top of their heads. Females are slightly heavier than males.





Habitat

Capybaras are semi aquatic mammals found in almost all countries of South America with the exception of Chile.

They live in dense forests areas near bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds, and marshes, as well as flooded savannah and along rivers in tropical forest. Capybaras have flourished in cattle ranches.

They roam in home ranges averaging 10 hectares (25 acres) in high-density populations



Diet

They are herbivores eating mainly grasses, mostly selective grazers meaning that they eat some grasses leaving others.

They are also autocoprophagous, meaning they eat their own feces as a source of bacterial flora, to help digest the cellulose in the grass that forms their normal diet, and to extract the maximum protein and vitamins from their food.

They are normally preyed upon by jaguar, puma, ocelot, eagle,caiman and anaconda.

Social habits

They are more commonly found in groups that average 10–20 individuals, with two to four adult males, four to seven adult females, and the remainder juveniles, but can be found living individually. They make dog-like barks when threatened or when females are herding young.

Capybaras have two types of scent glands; a morillo, located on the snout, and anal glands.

Both sexes have these glands, but males have much larger morillos and use their anal glands more frequently.

They mark their territory by rubbing their morillo on an object, or by walking over scrub and marking it with their anal glands.

Males as well mark with their urine while females mark more often during the wet season when they are in estrus.

Reproduction

Capybaras mate only in water, and if a female does not want to mate with a certain male, she will either submerge or leave the water. When in estrus, the female's scent changes subtly and nearby males begin pursuit. In addition, a female will alert males she is in estrus by whistling though her nose. Dominant males are highly protective of the females, but they usually cannot prevent some of the subordinates from copulating.

The larger the group, the harder it is for the male to watch all the females. Dominant males secure significantly more matings than each subordinate, but subordinate males, as a class, are responsible for more matings than each dominant male.

The lifespan of the capybara's sperm is longer than that of other rodents.

Capybara gestation period is 130–150 days, and produce a litter of four capybara babies on average, but may produce between one and eight in a single litter.

Birth is on land and the female will rejoin the group within a few hours of delivering the newborn capybaras, which 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.
Source:http://petsarena.com.ng/2016/09/meet-capybra-largest-rodent-world-thats-big-dog/

This is a hunter's answered prayer in Nigeria

It has no other name

Bushmeat it is!


NB
Are they edible?
@OP, any hope they can be bred in Nigeria? Our people are already used to Bush rats etc
How adaptable are they? Do they have any sensitivities to climate, environment etc
This can supplement Grasscutter Farming as a lucrative income-earner SME's!

They are edible and tropical rodents only that they need water for mating.They can be reared in Nigeria

petsarena:
They are edible and tropical rodents only that they need water for mating.They can be reared in Nigeria

Capybaras don't do well in captivity..

damn!!

IdeyFindWife:
This is a hunter's answered prayer in Nigeria

It has no other name

Bushmeat it is!


NB
Are they edible?
@OP, any hope they can be bred in Nigeria? Our people are already used to Bush rats etc
How adaptable are they? Do they have any sensitivities to climate, environment etc
This can supplement Grasscutter Farming as a lucrative income-earner SME's!

they are extremely destructive, its advisable not to breed them here in nigeria

bufness:
they are extremely destructive, its advisable not to breed them here in nigeria

Wow, dats good to know! Honestly can't say av done any study on dem beyond one or two sightings off Natgeo.

I ws thinking they'd be great supplements since there was no threat of them being an invasive breed, after all, they're herbivores.

I guess them.doing poorly in containment plus being destructive makes them a bit of a delicate deal then.

IdeyFindWife:


Wow, dats good to know! Honestly can't say av done any study on dem beyond one or two sightings off Natgeo.

I ws thinking they'd be great supplements since there was no threat of them being an invasive breed, after all, they're herbivores.

I guess them.doing poorly in containment plus being destructive makes them a bit of a delicate deal then.

there was a commentary i watched on natgeo, of them being introduced into a neighborhood, well they multiplied so rapidly according to the commentary

I want to rear this .....Looking to import them when i can afford it