CAPYBARA

( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ) also called carpincho or water hog a semiaquatic Central and South American rodent usually considered the sole member of the family Hydrochoeridae (order Rodentia), but sometimes placed with the cavy and guinea pig in the family Caviidae. Capybaras are the largest living rodents. South American capybaras may be 1.25 metres (4 feet) long and weigh 66 kg (145 pounds) or more; Panamanian capybaras are smaller and weigh about 27 kg (60 pounds). Capybaras are short-haired, brownish rodents, with blunt snouts, short legs, small ears, and almost no tail. They are shy and associate in groups along the banks of lakes and rivers. They normally feed in the morning and evening and spend most of the day resting under cover along the banks. They are vegetarian and in cultivated areas sometimes become pests by eating melons, grain, and squash. They swim and dive readily and commonly enter water to elude predators such as jaguars and anacondas. They are edible but are not considered especially palatable. The female bears a single litter of three to eight young each year; gestation takes about 100 to 110 days.