Capybara
Amazing fact
A capybara can keep its body hidden underwater while its eyes, ears and nostrils remain above it.
San Diego Zoo
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
A capybara can keep its body hidden underwater while its eyes, ears and nostrils remain above it.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Capybara
- Scientific name
- Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
- Japanese name
- カピバラ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Caviidae
- Genus
- Hydrochoerus
How the Capybara lives
They tend to eat at dawn and dusk. They also bring food back up to chew it again. On hot days they wallow in shallow water and mud to cool off.
San Diego ZooBasic data
- Size
- Length: 100–130 cmShoulder height: 50 cm
- Weight
- 27–79 kg
- Lifespan
- up to 10 years in the wild
- Diet
- Water plants and grasses
- Range
- Central and South America
Where the Capybara has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- カピバラ
- 简体中文
- 水豚
- 繁體中文
- 水豚
- 한국어
- 카피바라
- Español
- Capibara
- Français
- Grand capybara
- Deutsch
- Capybara
- Português (Brasil)
- Capivara
- Italiano
- Capibara
- العربية
- خنزير الماء
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Kapibara
- Tiếng Việt
- Chuột lang nước
- Русский
- Капибара
- Türkçe
- Kapibara
- ไทย
- แคพิบารา
- বাংলা
- ক্যাপিবারা
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- San Diego Zoo — CapybaraChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Capybara, look for this
- Look for the webbing between their toes.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
San Diego ZooEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Capybara
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Hokkaido
Chugoku and Shikoku
Kyushu and Okinawa
More facilities keep this animal. You can also search the JAZA animal finder (in Japanese).
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Caviidae
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