capybara n : pig-sized tailless South American amphibious rodent with partly webbed feet; largest living rodent [syn: capibara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris]

see Capybara

English

Noun

1. The largest living rodent (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), native to South America, living partly on land and partly in water.

Translations

• Danish: kapivar
• Dutch: capibara
• Finnish: vesisika, kapybara
• German: Capybara
• Portuguese: capivara
• Russian: капибара (kapibára)
• Slovene: kapibara
• Spanish: capibara , carpincho , chigüire italbrac Venezuela, chigüiro italbrac Colombia, poncho italbrac Panama, ronsoco italbrac Peru

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, also known as capibara, chigüiro and carpincho in Spanish, and capivara in Portuguese It is related to agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs. Its common name, derived from Kapiÿva in the Guarani language, while its scientific name, hydrochaeris, is Greek for "water hog". Capybaras have slightly webbed feet, no tail, and 20 teeth. Their back legs are slightly longer than their front legs and their muzzles are blunt with eyes, nostrils, and ears on top of their head. There is also a "lesser capybara", Hydrochoerus isthmius. and breed when conditions are perfect, which can be once per year (such as in Brazil) or throughout the year (such as in Venezuela and Colombia). The male pursues a female and mounts when the female stops in water. Capybara gestation is 130–150 days and usually produces a litter of four capybara babies, but may produce between two and eight in a single litter. Birth is on land and the female will rejoin the group within a few hours of delivering the newborn capybaras, who will join the group as soon as they are mobile. Within a week the young can eat grass, but will continue to suckle - from any female in the group - until weaned at about 16 weeks. Youngsters will form a group within the main group.

Habitat

Capybara are semi-aquatic mammals sometimes allowed to roam freely and may live for 12 years in captivity.

Human interaction

thumb|right|A group of capybaras at [[Hato La Fe in the Los Llanos region of Venezuela]] Capybaras are gentle and will usually allow humans to pet and hand-feed them. Capybara skin is tough, and thus in some areas where capybaras are wild, they are hunted for meat and their skin, which is turned into a high-quality leather, Considered a delicacy, it is often served with rice and plantains.

During the Christian celebration of Lent, capybara meat is especially popular as the Catholic church, in a special dispensation, classified the animal as a fish in the 16th century.

See also

Related news

• "Rodent of unusual size discovered: Uruguayan skull points to 'rat' that weighed a tonne." By Rachel Courtland. Published online 15 January 2008. Nature Publishing Group. Last retrieved 15 January 2008.
• "One-tonne rat discovered in Uruguay" Guardian News and Media Limited. Last retrieved 15 January 2008.
• "Giant rat that once roamed the earth" Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times. Last retrieved 15 January 2008.
• "'Biggest ever' rodent fossil discovered" by Catherine Brahic. NewScientist.com news service. Last retrieved 15 January 2008.
• "Discovered: a rodent bigger than a bull" By Roger Highfield, Science Editor. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Last retrieved 15 January 2008.
• "Scientists find giant rodent fossil in Latin America" from The Hindu Last retrieved 17 January 2008.
• "One Ton Capybara Found in South America" from TransWorld News Last retrieved 17 January 2008.
• "Bull-Size Rodent Discovered -- Biggest Yet" from National Geographic News Last retrieved 17 January 2008.
• "Scientists find 2,000 pound rodent - luckily it's a fossil" from Canada.com Last retrieved 17 January 2008.

References