Capybara

This herbivorous grazer is found along Central and South American riverbanks as well as near ponds and marshes. Capybaras generally feed on grasses and water plants but will also eat fruit and bark during the dry season. They are social animals and typically live in groups of between 10 and 30 individuals, which are led by a single dominant male. The female gives birth on land, producing a litter of between 2-8 pups each year.

Capybaras are a vocal species – constantly emitting a churring purr when active but can also bark, chirp and whistle on occasion. They can live up to 12 years in captivity but due to predation in the wild from jaguars, anacondas and eagles, their typical life span is reduced to 4 years.

Capybaras are not considered a threatened species as their population is stable in their home range, although hunting for their meat and pelts has reduced their numbers in some locations. In some parts of South America, they are also farmed for their meat and skin.

Capybara skin is particularly prized in the making of fine gloves because of its unusual tendency to only stretch in one direction. In fact, it is highly valued in South America, where there is a large domestic market for the skin of this species.

Capybaras have been resident in Fota Wildlife Park since 1989 and in 2019, two adult males joined the collection on loan from Belfast zoo. Currently, both are on exhibit in the park’s South American enclosure where they share an enclosure with Brazilian Tapirs, Darwin’s Rheas and the occasional free- roaming mara!