Please note: Winter Illuminations is still scheduled to go ahead this evening but we are closely monitoring the weather. Keep an eye on our socials for the latest. The park remains open during the day but some areas will be closed. For safety reasons the Christmas Fair will remain shut.

Capybara

Status

Least Concern
Size

Up to 65 kg
Threat

Hunting
Distribution

South America
Diet

Herbivore

Capybara are the world's largest rodent!

A rodent the size of a goat?! Closely related to Guinea pigs; Capybaras are extremely sociable animals. With partially-webbed feet and big thick bodies, they are very impressive animals. Their native habitat is the wetlands of South America, for this reason they spend a lot of time in the water and can remain submerged for up to 5 minutes.

Although Capybara don’t look like the most agile creatures, they have been known to run as fast as a horse! They also often submerge in water to avoid predation and can even sleep underwater by leaving their nostrils poking out of the surface to breathe.