It’s been a stressful time for me lately, so I want to channel one of the chillest animals I know: the capybara.
There are two species of capybaras: the greater capybara (Hydrochoeris hydrochoeris) and the lesser capybara (H. isthmius). You can find capybaras on Central and South American riverbanks and in marshes. Basically, anywhere east of the Andes that has standing water, you can find a capybara!
People initially thought that capybaras were related to pigs. After all, they get pretty large: 1.6 feet (50 centimeters) at the shoulder and 60 to 174 pounds (27 to 79 kilograms). But capybaras are the world’s largest rodents (twice the size of the average beaver!)! They share some common features with other rodents like mice and squirrels, such as continuously growing front teeth.
American hippos
Capybaras are, in some ways, the American version of African hippos. Like hippos, capybaras are semi-aquatic animals, which means that they spend part of their day in water and part on land. For capybaras specifically, swimming and lounging in water help keep their naturally dry skin healthy and moist. Swimming also helps them stay cool when the day gets hot!
Webbed toes make capybaras good swimmers. And like hippos, a capybara’s eyes, ears, and nostrils are all found near the top of their head. This lets them glide almost entirely under the water while maintaining the ability to keep an eye out for danger. If predators appear, a capybara can dive and hide underwater for up to five minutes.
Being semi-aquatic also means that capybaras have to watch out for Catholics. During the season of Lent, Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays and instead turn to fish. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Venezuelan clergymen asked the Vatican if they could eat capybaras during Lent. After all, they lived in water, had webbed feet, and tasted (kinda) like fish. The Vatican agreed with this reasoning and classified capybaras as fish that were acceptable to eat during Lent. This rule still applies today, and capybaras are a popular addition to the Venezuelan dinner table during Lent.
Diet of champions
Capybaras have the typical diet of a semi-aquatic herbivore: plants and grasses, especially those found in the water. Their long, sharp front teeth are great for cutting and grazing on water plants. However, they can be pretty selective, with three to six types of plants making up to 75% of the typical capybara diet.
However, not all plants are available at all times. For example, fresh grasses and water plants tend to dry up when the dry season hits. Capybaras then transition to eating more reeds, grains, and melons. This change in food also comes with a physical change: a capybara’s intestine gets larger in the dry season and shrinks in the wet season. A larger intestine helps them absorb more nutrients from available (but less nutritious) food.
Capybaras also have a special morning snack to get their digestion going: their poop! Grasses and plant material are thick in fiber and more difficult to digest. Capybaras get around this problem by having beneficial bacteria in their stomachs to help break down plant fiber. But of course, every time they poop, they also poop out some of that bacteria. Eating their poop helps them keep enough bacteria in their stomach. It also gives them the opportunity to squeeze out any nutrients their digestion may have missed the first time around. The morning poop is particularly nutritious, as it’s full of protein from the microbes digesting yesterday’s meal.
Group living
Capybaras are among the world’s most social rodents. They typically live in small groups, or herds, of about 10 individuals. Each herd is led by a dominant male, one or more females, and their young.
However, herds may combine during the wet season to create large groups of up to 40 capybaras. The young capybaras are looked after communally by the whole group. Females will even nurse each other’s young! Being in such a large herd helps keep the young safe, as many eyes are looking out for potential predators.
But beyond looking for predators, much of a capybara’s day involves just chilling. They are known as “nature’s ottomans” because many animals like to sit on their back, and capybaras don’t seem to mind. Capybaras will even chill next to caimans, which could easily bite them! Adult capybaras might be so laid back because their only real predators are large caimans and jaguars.
Whatever the reason, I strive to add more capybara-like calmness to my life!
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