Capybara
- Capibaras can sleep in water, leaving only their nostrils above the surface. They can stay underwater for up to five minutes, using this ability to escape predators.
- The capybara is the largest rodent in the world.
- Capibaras cannot synthesize vitamin C on their own, and in captivity, those not receiving it through food developed gum diseases as a sign of scurvy. In the wild, capibaras obtain vitamin C from plant food, preventing scurvy.
- Capibaras mate exclusively in water, and if a female does not want to mate with a particular male, she either dives or leaves the water. A female can refuse mating by diving or leaving the water.
- Capibaras make sounds similar to a dog's bark when females gather offspring. When threatened, they can bark like dogs.
- Dominant male capibaras actively guard females, but usually cannot completely prevent subordinate males from mating. The larger the group, the harder it is for a male to control all females.
- Capibaras' front and molar teeth grow throughout their lives, compensating for wear from eating grass. Like other rodents, their front teeth grow continuously.
- The capibara's jaw joint allows chewing forward and backward, unlike most mammals that chew side to side. This feature helps them efficiently chew plant food even in winter, when it is less nutritious.
- Capibaras have sweat glands on the surface of fur-covered skin areas, an unusual feature among rodents. They lack underfur, and their guard hairs are barely different from the rest of their fur.
- Capibara eats its own feces to use bacteria from the gut microbiota for digesting cellulose and absorbing proteins and vitamins. This helps it obtain nutrients from plant food as efficiently as possible.
- The capibara's premolars and molars lack roots and grow throughout its life. Its incisors are wide and have a longitudinal groove on the outer surface.
- Capibara makes whistling sounds through its nostrils to signal males that it is ready to mate. During estrus, when the female's scent changes, she also attracts males this way.
- Young are born with open eyes and can swim within a few days.
Age
The capybara’s typical lifespan ranges from 11 years and 4 months to 18 years and 11 months, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 15 years and 1 month, and a theoretical lifespan between 7 years and 7 months and 15 years and 1 month; the species reaches sexual maturity from 1 year and 1 month to 1 year and 8 months. The young are born with their eyes open and begin walking immediately, and they progress through developmental stages beginning with the embryonic stage, during which the embryo develops inside the mother, receiving nutrients via the placenta and not feeding independently; following birth, the pup is covered in fur, can see, and is able to walk and swim, relying on its mother’s milk for nourishment. The adult stage begins at 1 year and 1 month and lasts up to 12 years, during which the capybara has fully grown, is capable of reproduction, and lives within a group.
Phenotype
The capybara pup is born covered in fur that dries quickly after being in water, and possesses short legs with membranes between the toes to aid swimming. The species has a large head with a short muzzle, and its eyes, ears, and nostrils are positioned high on the head for easy breathing while swimming. An adult capybara has a heavy, barrel-shaped body covered in coarse, sparse fur and four legs with small membranes between the toes, which allow for swift swimming and comfortable walking on soft ground. The adult’s sharp incisors grow continuously, assisting in the consumption of tough grasses and bark.
Physiology
The capybara’s body height ranges from 17.8 centimeters to 4.5 meters; its body length varies from 1 to 1.35 meters. The species' mass falls between 35 and 66 kilograms, with the adult stage exhibiting a mass of 35 to 50 kilograms and a body length of 1 to 1.3 meters. During the embryonic stage, the body mass is from 1 gram to 2 kilograms; in the pup stage, the body mass ranges from 1.5 to 8 kilograms, and the body length is from 30 to 60 centimeters.
Habitat
The capibara occupies elevations up to 500 meters and inhabits tropical dry forests characterized by heat and a dry season with deciduous trees, tropical moist forests that are consistently hot and humid with large trees and vines, flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is abundant grass, and tropical savannas with heat, uneven rainfall, and plentiful grass and trees; the species is found in freshwater bodies, lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps, rivers, streams, on land, and within terrestrial forests. The climate varies, with little precipitation in winter and more in summer, or with a hot climate and heavy summer rains and little winter precipitation, or a consistently hot and humid climate with nearly daily rainfall, or a hot climate with frequent rain but occasional dry periods, or simply a very hot climate throughout the year with frequent rain and occasional dryness.
Shelter
The capibara inhabits areas with dense grass or water along the banks; the species does not have a permanent or long-term shelter. It lacks a fixed shelter and utilizes aquatic plants, grass, and bark for protection from predators, rest, and shielding from the sun.
Geography
The capibara occupies the biogeographical realms of Neotropics, Afrotropics, Freshwater, and Palearctic; its ecosystems include the humid forests of the Windward Islands and the humid Pampas.
Feeding
The capybara is an herbivorous species; it grazes and feeds on grass, aquatic plants, bark, fruits, and algae. The species obtains food by biting grass with its teeth. The diet includes grass, aquatic plants, bark, fruits, and algae. Young capybaras consume milk. Daily food intake ranges from 1.5 kilograms to 4 kilograms. Capybaras are preyed upon by anacondas, true crocodiles, caimans, and panthers.
Reproduction
Capybaras reproduce sexually, and the female carries young for about five months before giving birth on land; the young are born live, not hatched from eggs or larvae, and can walk and swim immediately after birth. A litter consists of two to eight capybara pups, and the female reaches sexual maturity between one year and three months and one year and eight months of age. Reproduction occurs with homogamy, always involving fertilization and without generational changes. The interval between successive litters is from ten months to one year and one month. Capybaras inhabit and develop on land, outside of bodies of water.