# Capybara — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris*

> A capybara is the world's largest rodent, a semi-aquatic, plant-eating mammal native to South America that can weigh up to about 65 kilograms (140 pounds) and lives in social groups near rivers, lakes and wetlands.

**IUCN status:** Least Concern (IUCN, 2016) — but locally hunted and traded  ·  **WARN range:** Brazil, Colombia

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Lifespan | ~8-10 years in the wild; up to ~12 in captivity |
| Weight | ~35-66 kg (77-146 lb) |
| Body length | ~106-134 cm (up to ~1.3 m) |
| Height at shoulder | ~50-62 cm |
| Diet | Herbivore — grasses, aquatic plants, fruit, bark |
| Gestation | ~130-150 days |
| Young per birth | ~4 pups (range 1-8) |
| Baby name | Pup |
| Group name | Herd / group (often 10-20 animals) |
| CITES | Not listed on CITES appendices |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Rodentia
- **Family:** Caviidae
- **Genus:** Hydrochoerus
- **Species:** Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Least Concern
- **Population:** No reliable global estimate; population presumed large and widely distributed
- **Trend:** Stable
- **Assessed:** 2016
- **CITES:** Not listed on the CITES appendices
- Globally Least Concern, but some local populations are depleted by over-hunting for meat and hide and by wetland loss; the species is also taken for the exotic-pet trade.

## Key facts: Capybara
- The capybara is the largest rodent in the world, with big adults reaching around 1.3 m long and up to roughly 65 kg.
- It is semi-aquatic: webbed feet make it a strong swimmer, and it can stay submerged for up to about five minutes to hide from predators.
- Capybaras are highly social, living in groups of around 10-20 animals (occasionally up to 50-100 in the dry season).
- They are herbivores that graze on grasses and aquatic plants, and like other rodents have continuously growing teeth.
- The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern with a stable population, but local populations decline where hunting and habitat loss are intense.
- Main pressures are hunting for meat and hide, wetland habitat loss to agriculture, and capture for the exotic-pet trade.

## Behaviour and ecology
Capybaras are built for life around water. Their eyes, ears and nostrils sit high on the head so they can stay alert while mostly submerged, and partially webbed feet make them powerful swimmers that can stay underwater for several minutes to escape jaguars, caimans, anacondas and eagles. They are social grazers, feeding mainly on grasses and aquatic plants during cooler parts of the day and wallowing in water through the midday heat. Groups are typically led by a dominant male and structured around females and young; like other caviids they communicate with a range of barks, whistles, purrs and clicks. As bulk grass-eaters they practice coprophagy (re-ingesting their own droppings) to extract more nutrients from fibrous plants.

## Reproduction and young
Capybaras can breed year-round where conditions are good, often peaking with the rains. After a gestation of roughly 130-150 days, a female gives birth to a litter that averages about four pups but can range from one to eight. The young are precocial — born well-developed, eyes open and able to walk, swim and nibble vegetation within hours — and are often cared for communally, nursing from several females in the group. In the wild many capybaras live only a few years because of heavy predation, though survivors and captive animals can reach roughly 8-12 years.

## Conservation status and threats
Across its large South American range the capybara is assessed by the IUCN as Least Concern, with a population that is large, widely distributed and overall stable. That headline can be misleading at the local scale: the species is hunted intensively for its meat and leather in parts of its range, and some local populations have been depleted by over-hunting and by the draining and conversion of wetlands for agriculture and cattle. Capybaras are also captured for the exotic-pet trade. The species is not listed on the CITES appendices, so international trade is not controlled at the species level — meaning local management and habitat protection do most of the conservation work.

## What rescue and protection involve
Protecting capybaras is mostly about protecting wetlands and managing hunting sustainably rather than captive breeding. On-the-ground work includes safeguarding rivers, lakes and seasonally flooded grasslands, reducing illegal and unsustainable hunting, rehabilitating animals seized from the pet trade, and easing conflict where capybaras graze on farmland. Because the species shares its wetlands with many others — fish, caimans, water birds and aquatic plants — keeping capybara habitat healthy benefits whole ecosystems, which is why habitat-focused conservation is the most effective lever for this species.

## Capybara vs lesser capybara: how to tell them apart
| Feature | Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) | Lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maximum size | Up to ~1.3 m long; up to ~65 kg | Up to ~0.9 m long; up to ~28 kg |
| Coat | Reddish-brown to grey-brown | Generally darker brown |
| Main range | Most of South America east of the Andes, including Brazil and Colombia | East Panama, western Colombia and Venezuela, west of the Andes |
| IUCN status | Least Concern (2016) | Data Deficient |
| Status note | World's largest rodent; widespread and stable | Smaller, less-studied species split off in the 1980s |

## What WARN does
WARN CIC is a registered global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation that funds local partner shelters, sanctuaries and rescue teams rather than running its own facilities. Two of WARN's five focus countries — Brazil and Colombia — fall squarely within the capybara's range, so the species sits inside the network's funded focus. WARN's role is to channel support to vetted local partners working on wetland protection, humane handling of animals rescued from the pet trade, and human-wildlife conflict in those countries, alongside wider public education about why this iconic wetland giant matters. We are careful not to overstate scale: this is partner-funded, community-led work, with WARN providing funding and search-and-education reach rather than direct field operations.

Across Brazil and Colombia, healthy wetlands are what keep capybaras — and the rivers, birds and fish around them — thriving. A gift to WARN helps fund the local partners protecting that habitat and caring for animals rescued from the pet trade in the capybara's home range.

## Frequently asked questions: Capybara
### How long do capybaras live?
In the wild capybaras often live only a few years because of heavy predation, but survivors can reach roughly 8-10 years, and animals in captivity may live up to about 12 years.

### What do capybaras eat?
Capybaras are herbivores. They graze mainly on grasses and aquatic plants, and also eat fruit and bark; like other rodents they re-ingest their own droppings to extract more nutrients from fibrous plant material.

### How big do capybaras get?
A large adult capybara can reach about 1.3 metres (over 4 feet) in body length and weigh up to roughly 65 kg (about 140 pounds), making it the heaviest rodent in the world.

### Are capybaras dangerous to humans?
Capybaras are generally calm, non-aggressive herbivores and rarely a threat to people, though like any large wild animal they can bite with their large incisors if cornered, handled or provoked.

### How many capybaras are left in the wild?
There is no single reliable global population count, but the IUCN considers the species widespread and abundant with a stable overall population, which is why it is listed as Least Concern.

### What is a baby capybara called?
A baby capybara is called a pup. Pups are born well-developed and can walk, swim and nibble plants within hours of birth, and are often cared for by several females in the group.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Capybara)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/10300/22190005)
- [IUCN Red List assessment PDF — Capybara](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/pdf/22190005)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Hydrochoerus_hydrochaeris/)
- [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance — Capybara fact sheet](https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/capybaras)
- [SeaWorld / United Parks — Capybara facts](https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/mammals/capybara/)
- [National Geographic — Capybara](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/cabybara-facts)

---
Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/capybara