CaviidaeFossil range: Middle Miocene - Recent |
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Mara, genus Dolichotis |
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Scientific
classification
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Subfamilies
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Caviinae |
Caviidae) is divided in three subfamilies:
CapybaraFossil range: Pleistocene - Recent |
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Scientific classification
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Binomial name
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Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris |
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Capybara range |
The capybara (also capibara),
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ("Water pig") is a semi-aquatic
herbivorous animal, the largest of living rodents. It is endemic to most of the
tropical and temperate parts of South America east of the Andes, and has been
introduced to north-central Florida and possibly other subtropical regions in
the United States. It is the only living member of the family Hydrochoeridae.
The animal is also called capivara
in Portuguese, and carpincho, chigüiro or chigüire
in Spanish. The name originally derives from Tupi kaapĩ ûara
("grass eater") or possibly from the Guarani word kapiÿva,
meaning roughly "master of the grasses". In English, it is also
sometimes called Water Hog (which is also the literal translation of its
species name).
Full-grown capybaras reach
105 to 135 cm (40 to 55 inches) in length, and weigh 35 to 65 kg (75 to 140
lbs). Except for their large size, they resemble guinea pigs. They are
excellent swimmers, and have partially webbed feet. Their front legs have four
fingers and hind legs have three.
Capybaras spend most of
their life in water: they mate in the water, use water to hide from and elude
predators (chiefly Anacondas, Jaguars and Humans), and can stay submerged for
several minutes. They can even sleep underwater by leaving their noses exposed
to the air.
An adult
Capybara in Pantanal, Brazil
Capybaras are largely herd
animals, although pairs or singles are often seen too. Males have a gland on
their noses which exudes a liquid pheromone. In the mating season, they rub
this gland on surrounding foliage to attract females. They spend most of their
time on river banks, feeding in the mornings and evenings. The diet consists of
vegetation such as river plants and bark.
The young are noticeably
lighter colored than adults.
In the regions along the
Paraná river in Southern Brazil, Bolivia, Northern Argentina, Southeast
Colombia, and Uruguay, capybaras are occasionally hunted for food and for their
leather. The flesh is described as tasting like pork and has a similar whitish
appearance.
Venezuelan farmers who once
considered the animal a pest now make a valuable addition to their incomes by
selling capybara meat (approximately 400 metric tons annually). The rodents are
rounded up in February so that they can be slaughtered and sold just before the
onset of Lent, when the meat is in high demand.
The popularity of capybara
meat in Venezuela is attributed to a 16th century theological decision by the
Roman Catholic Church responding to queries by Venezuelan Catholics, that
capybara meat is equivalent to fish meat for the purposes of Lent, and thus
allowed its consumption during that time [1][2].[citation needed]
The decision may have been taken on the basis of incomplete or inaccurate
descriptions of the capybara available to the Church authorities in Rome. But
this decision was never reversed, and to this day the capybara is the only
warm-blooded animal with this status. (This story should be treated with
caution, since similar claims have been circulated concerning other
semi-aquatic mammals, such as beavers and muskrats[3].)
Capybara,
the largest living rodent, in an English zoo
Capybaras are often kept
for "decorative" purposes in public parks, farms, and tourist resorts
which have access to suitable water bodies. The animals are usually allowed to
roam freely. They adapt easily to human presence, and allow themselves to be
petted and hand-fed.
However, in Southeast
Brazil (states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais) this custom has
caused trouble recently, when capybaras were found to be a reservoir for Rocky
Mountain spotted fever. Thus disease can be transmitted to humans by the star
tick (Amblyomma cajennense), a common parasite of many animals including
capybaras and humans. Responding to pressure from health authorities and public
opinion, many public places in those states have eliminated the capybaras they
once kept[
In the American cartoon
show, The Tick, the title character's pet "dog," Speak, is actually a
sickly capybara.
The Capybara bears
resemblance to the Romanian 'Shobolan', a huge rodent to whom the rural
Romanian mythology attributes human-like behavior.
Author and artist, Bill
Peet wrote and illustrated Capyboppy, a book about his family's keeping
of a pet capybara in the 1960s. He later wrote The Wump World, featuring
title creatures which look and behave very much like capybaras.
In the Broadway musical The
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, 'capybara' is one of the words
given to the eccentric, cape-wearing speller Leaf Coneybear.
The alternative rock group
Rasputina performed a song called "Rats" on their 2002 album Cabin
Fever. The song tells the story of the Vatican declaration of the capybara
as fish, allowing South Americans to eat them on Fridays and during Lent.
"Kapibara-san" is
a cartoon capybara from Japan, available in many forms of merchandise such as
plush dolls and key chains. It is depicted as a relaxed, lazy character who
enjoys onsens. Its relaxed nature and cute appearence is typical of many
popular cartoon characters featured in collectable merchandise, such as
Rilakkuma, a relaxing bear.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caviidae&action=history
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Capybara&action=history
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html