Adelaide Zoo

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Capybara

Animal Facts

  • Genus:

    Hydrochoerus

  • Species:

    Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

  • Conservation
    Status:

    Least Concern

  • Found In:

    South America

  • Length:

    107-134cm

  • Height:

    50-64

  • Weight:

    35-66kg

Meet the capy trio!

Come in and meet the world’s largest rodent, the Capybara!

Three lively brothers Iago, Iguazu, and Salvador arrived at their new home at Adelaide Zoo from Sydney Zoo in January 2025. They are a young and closely bonded group full of playfulness. Being highly social species, it is wonderful to see the little trio exploring their home both in and out of the water, delighting zoo-goers with their fun and lively antics.

The capybara habitat includes both land and pond areas, allowing visitors to observe a wide range of capybara behaviours, including their social interactions and the adaptations that help them survive in the wild.

Capybaras are semi-aquatic mammals found throughout South America. They live in densely forested areas near bodies of water.

The capybara is the largest of all the 1,729 species of living rodents. They’re closely related to guinea pigs and have excellent aquatic skills. Their webbed feet, thick fur and high position of the eyes, ears and nose on their head make them great swimmers. They can even hold their breath for up to five minutes underwater to hide from predators like jaguars and pumas!

Capybaras are a highly social species and live in groups of around 10 to 20 individuals. Mothers are known to care for each other’s offspring and pups are known to feed from any mother within the group.

Although the wild capybara population is not considered threatened, in some areas hunting has reduced their numbers.

Love capybaras? There are many ways you can help support these quirky creatures.

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