The world's largest rodent and social media star
The capybara, the largest living rodent known to us today, is an animal with a very pleasant disposition and appearance, leading an aquatic and terrestrial lifestyle. It lives in South America, but, mainly thanks to the Internet, is widely known and enjoys undiminished sympathy. Videos of capybaras went viral and ushered in a golden era of popularity for this inconspicuous rodent in the online community.
The giant capybara is the largest rodent living on Earth.
Capybaras belong to the family Caviidae, making them cousins of, among other things, the domesticated caviar, more commonly known as the guinea pig.
Rodents are a separate order of mammals, the characteristic features of which include, first of all, the presence of constantly growing incisors that are subject to regular wear. They are found in large numbers on all continents, and some species, such as the capybara, inhabit only certain regions of our planet.
Capybaras are naturally found in South America.
Their distribution covers the north-central part of the continent to the northern regions of Argentina. They can be found naturally in countries such as Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Colombia.
Capybaras are aquatic and terrestrial animals.
This largely depends on the climate in which they occur naturally, which is characterized by transitional dry and wet seasons.
They live near bodies of water and thrive in marshy and swampy areas.
Evolution has equipped them with a number of anatomical adaptations that allow them to function effectively in a variety of environments. The placement of the eyes, ears and nostrils high on the head allows them to be almost completely submerged in the water when swimming, while still being able to observe and breathe freely. They have buoyant membranes that make it easier to move through the water, and they are also able to remain below the surface of the water for up to several minutes. Their fur dries quickly, and their long limbs allow them to move quickly and efficiently on land.
As representatives of the rodent order, capybaras prefer a gregarious lifestyle.
Most often they form groups of up to 30 individuals. They tend to increase the number of groups during periods of deteriorating climatic conditions, that is, during the dry season, when access to water and food is difficult, and capybaras become an extremely easy target for attack by predators.
These animals have a developed communication system that is used, among other things, to warn of danger. The arsenal of sounds they make includes grunting, squealing and whistling.
They mark an area with their scent glands. they are the only rodents that have sweat glands., which have the function of regulating temperature and can communicate through odorous secretions.
They are herbivores.
They feed on local vegetation, seeds and fruits, and sometimes enter livestock breeding areas, lured by the prospect of feeding on feed.
At home they will eat hay and vegetables. and even bread which, like the tree bark that they chew in natural conditions, can help them grind down their incisors.
The capybara's reproductive cycle lasts all year round.
Young females are able to give birth to offspring already in the second year of life. Pregnancy lasts about five months and usually ends with the birth of four cubs. Most capybaras are born in the spring, which in the southern hemisphere occurs from September to October.
Among young capybaras, mortality is very high, reaching 95%. Adults can live up to 10 years, but this is rare in nature due to the presence of numerous predators that hunt these rodents.
The natural enemies of these cute animals are hidden in any environment.
Capybaras on land have to closely monitor the jaguars hunting them, and in the water they are subject to attacks by anacondas, piranhas or caimans. However, the threat can even come from the air, because birds such as eagles and harpies also love their meat.
Their meat is also valued by people.
Capybara meat has long been an ingredient in the food of the indigenous people of South America. Nowadays, some of these animals are also bred for culinary purposes.
In Venezuela, the popularity of capybara meat led to a significant decline in the population, leading to the intervention of the local government, which stopped the practice destructive to the species, granting the animals protected status. Only 20% of Venezuela's total population can be hunted for food each year. Unfortunately, legal issues do not eliminate illegal practices, so it is estimated that the percentage of animals killed each year is much higher.
The Holy See once recognized the capybara as a fish.
At a time when the Catholic faith was spreading among the indigenous people of South America and the need arose for new believers to follow the instructions of the Church, the missionaries were faced with an ethical and culinary problem.
The Indians regularly ate the meat of capybaras, which, however, lived in water. The question arose whether it could therefore be considered a fish, and only the head of the Church could answer this question. The Pope agreed with the arguments based on the habitat and the fishy taste of the meat, and agreed to eat the capybara like fish during Lent.
interesting the decision was never officially overturned, so we can say that according to the official position of the Vatican, the giant capybara is a species of fish.
People raise capybaras not only for their meat, but also for their skins.
The South American leather industry, using the skins of the giant capybara, is still thriving. The purpose of production is to create accessories such as bags, belts, gloves and shoes.
Some representatives of this species lead the life of pets.
Like their smaller relatives, capybaras also have characteristics that allow them to be domesticated for domestic use.
They have a gentle nature, and their group lifestyle makes them sociable animals.
In Poland there are no legal contraindications for taking this animal under your roof. However, when deciding on care, it is necessary to take into account the life expectancy of the rodent, the need for a sufficiently large and well-equipped space, the specifics of its functioning and nutritional needs.
Capybaras are very popular on social networks.
Videos of these animals can be found on platforms like Instagram, but the real revolution is happening on another popular site: TikTok.
The hashtag #capybara appeared in mid-2023 almost 300 million views and continues to recruit new recipients. In the posted materials you can see these friendly rodents in various situations; a special musical theme was even created for them.