# Capybara (*Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/capybara  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), also called the greater capybara, is a rodent in the family Caviidae, subfamily Hydrochoerinae, within the order Rodentia. It is a large mammal with a representative adult body mass of 48.14 kg, and our sources report adult masses up to 58.58 kg. The capybara is a herbivore with a diurnal activity pattern and a terrestrial lifestyle. Gestation lasts 150 days, a litter has 4 young, and it reaches sexual maturity at 1.3 years; its lifespan is 12 years, with values up to 15.1 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 48.1 kg – 58.6 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 12 years – 15.1 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, freshwater, grassland |
| Gestation | 150 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.49 – 4 |
| Age at maturity | 15 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.25 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Rodentia
- family: Caviidae
- genus: Hydrochoerus
- species: *Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris* (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms: *Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris*, *Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris*, *Hydrochoerus capybara*, *Sus hydrochaeris*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a capybara?

An adult capybara has a representative body mass of 48.14 kg, and our sources report values up to 58.58 kg.

### What does a capybara eat?

The capybara is a herbivore.

### Is the capybara endangered?

No. The capybara is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a capybara live?

The capybara has a lifespan of 12 years, and our sources report values up to 15.1 years.

### What kind of animal is a capybara?

The capybara is a mammal and a rodent of the family Caviidae, in the order Rodentia.

### How many young does a capybara have?

A capybara litter has 4 young, with 1.25 litters per year after a gestation period of 150 days.

### Is the capybara active by day or night?

The capybara is diurnal, and it has a terrestrial lifestyle.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/capybara