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Capybara The capybara is the largest rodent in the world. The capybara's name comes from the native people of South America. It means 'master of the grass. ' The scientific name of the capybara is hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, which means 'water pig' in Greek. Capybaras have been in existence since the Pleistocene epoch. Their ancient ancestors were rodents that lived about sixty million years ago. The average size of a capybara is four feet in length and two feet in height.
This is about the size of a sheep. Capybaras usually weigh between sixty and one hundred and forty pounds. Many people think the capybara looks like a larger version of a guinea pig. All capybaras have large flat noses, webbed feet, short legs, and no tail. Their fur is very coarse and it is usually a reddish-brown color.
Capybaras also have large incisor teeth that continuously grow. Capybaras must constantly gnaw and chew on wood and nuts to wear their teeth down. To protect themselves from the hot sun, capybaras will often rest in nearby pools of water. They will also be found lying mud or in the shade. Capybaras are found in South American countries such as Brazil and Venezuela. They are well adapted for living on land and in the water.
Herds of capybaras, consisting of twenty or more capybaras, live on the grasslands and near riverbanks, or in swamps and marshes. Capybaras are herbivores whose main diet is water plants and grasses. Occasionally a capybara will also eat leaves, seeds and the bark of young trees. Because they are herbivores, they do not have any distinctive hunting habits.
Capybaras are shy creatures that don't interact with other animals on a frequent basis. They are intelligent but quiet and they rarely fight each other, or their enemies. Within a herd of capybaras, there is one dominant male who keeps the herd in order. He also defends the herd from intruding animals. Capybaras reproduce sexually by mating in shallow water. They can mate during any time of the year but capybaras most often mate during the start of the rainy season.
A female capybara typically gives birth from one to eight babies. A baby capybara is born with fur and it's eyes open. The babies can eat grass just like the adult capybaras and they can take care of themselves much better than most baby mammals. However, baby capybaras drink their mother's milk and stay with their mother for at least four months after their birth.
A female capybara will allow her offspring, as well as other offspring in her herd, to live off of her milk. At fifteen months, a baby capybara is full-grown and can mate, as well as take care of itself without the help of it's mother. Capybaras mate by natural selection because they are wild animals and are rarely kept as pets. Capybaras have few natural enemies because of their large size.
However, jaguars often hunt capybaras along with caimans and giant anacondas. Humans are probably the most threatening of the capybaras enemies. Humans drain the wetlands to make room for building and farm land. During this process, humans are destroying capybara's habitats. Capybaras are also hunted by humans.
They are killed for their meat and their fur. Because of humans, they are becoming more scarce because of hunting and their loss of habitat. They are not considered endangered but some people try to help increase the numbers of capybaras by raising them on ranches. On ranches, capybaras are not threatened by humans and they are protected from their natural enemies. When a capybara feels threatened by an enemy, it will run away. It's best defensive behavior is to run into nearby water.
Capybaras are very good at swimming because of their webbed feet and they lose many of their enemies using this technique of escape. As a capybara swims away from it's enemies, only it's small ears and nostrils can be seen. I decided to pick the capybara for my report because I wanted to research an animal that few people have heard of. I also wanted to research an animal from Central or South America. It was interesting to learn that the capybara is the largest rodent in the world.
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