Meet The Largest Rodent In The World, The Capybara

Their Fascinating Herbivorous Diet

While the Capybara is an herbivorous animal, meaning it eats plants, it has an even fancier name for what it likes to eat. They’re graminivores, this means that they are a herbivore that feeds primarily on grasses. In the wild, they love to graze on water plants and grasses and 80% of their daily diet is made up of five species of grasses. How much grass does it take to feed a capybara? The average capybara eats between six and eight pounds of fresh grass a day.

Capybaras are almost more at home in the water than on land. Their webbed toes and ability to hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes make them excellent swimmers. If a predator is nearby or tries to attack them, they’ll dive into the water and swim out of danger. In the heat of midday, they’ll even take a dip in the water to avoid the heat. 

Social Life Of The Capybara

These highly social creatures live in groups of 10-30. In some situations, they can even form herds of up to 100 capybaras. They are chatty little animals who squeak, chirp, and bark around their family. Capybaras give birth to a litter of one to seven pups at a time, with the average being three, following a 120-day pregnancy. 

The capybara is also known for its highly friendly behavior. They’ve been spotted hanging out with creatures of all kinds – not just other capybaras. Some of their other friends include turtles, ducks, fawns, monkeys, and other random birds. 

Fun Facts About the ‘Capy’-est Rodent Around

• Their home range is between 25 and 50 acres. 
• Capybaras can sleep in the water! They keep their nose just above the waterline as they doze. 
• They are crepuscular animals, this means that they are most active during dawn or dusk.
• Like all rodents, the Capybaras teeth never stop growing. They are constantly being ground down by the grasses they eat. 
• The Capybara is also known as the “master of the grasses,” and comes from the name Kapiyva in the indigenous language of Guarani.

Capybaras aren’t the only other fun animal to meet at SeaQuest    . If you’re looking to see a creature that looks like it’s right out of outer space, the Axolotl is sure to fascinate. However, if you want to meet someone just as sweet as the Capybara, make sure to stop by and meet Marina the Mermaid.

Make sure to book your tickets to meet the capybaras at SeaQuest     today! Buy your SeaQuest Tickets here!