Capybaras are the world’s biggest rodents. Found in forests and wetlands from Panama to Argentina, I travelled to the Brazilian Pantanal thanks to Pantanal Safaris to find out more about them.
To stand a greater chance of watching them up close, we travelled across the Pantanal by boat. These animals are perfectly adapted to the water. Capybaras like to be close to water where they feel safest. They have webbed feet and, like hippos, their eyes, ears and nostrils are on the top of their heads, which means they can stay vigilant for predators - like jaguars or caiman - as they swim.
Facts about capybaras
These animals are herbivores, grazing mainly on grasses and aquatic plants as well as fruit and tree bark, which are in plentiful supply along the Pantanal river banks.
Capybaras live in herds up to 20 strong and each group is controlled through a strict social hierarchy. At the top is a dominant male whose responsibility it is to chase out intruders. And although capybaras seem calm on the outside, these males are very territorial. They have a large scent gland on their snout which they use to mark their territory. Females have this too, but theirs is much smaller
Females give birth to one litter a year and can have anything from just one, to eight pups. These suckle from any female in the herd until they’re weaned at 16 weeks old.
