Is it a beaver without a tail? A hairy pig without a snout? No, it’s a capybara, the largest rodent in the world! Standing about two feet tall and built somewhat like a barrel with legs, the capybara is found on Central and South American riverbanks, beside ponds, and in marshes or wherever standing water is available. Africa has hippos and the Americas have capybaras! Capybaras are incredibly vocal animals and communicate using barks, chirps, whistles, huffs, and purrs. They chatter back and forth to keep track of one another. A warning bark is their first line of defense. If one animal feels threatened, the whole group barks until danger has passed. Our capybaras share a habitat with Baird’s tapirs and black spur-winged geese. They have room to roam, rocks to climb, and their own pool, which all of these habitat mates make good use of, as they are all fond of water.
