This single capybara baby made its public debut yesterday at the San Diego Zoo in California. At only one day old, this little baby weighs 3 – 5 pounds (1.36-2.27 kgs) and has teeth that let it nibble on grasses!
In fact, the word capybara means “master of the grass” and its scientific name, Hydrochoerus, means “water hog” because of its love for water. The capybara, however, is not a pig as that implies, but the world’s largest rodent species. An adult male can weigh up to 141 pounds and a female up to 146 pounds! and end up to be about two feet tall.
Capybara are highly social and live in groups controlled by a dominant male. Capybara females in a group are known to help care for and even nurse each other’s young. This is the second capybara born in the past week and at this time, its gender is unknown.
Capybara are found in Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas and Peru, south through Brazil, Paraguay, northeast Argentina, and Uruguay. Semi-aquatic, they frequent dense vegetation surrounding lakes, rivers, swamps, marshes, and ponds.
Photo Credits: Sand Diego Zoo
