They resemble giant guinea pigs, grow to the size of a sheep and can attain a weight of 80kg. Their eyes, ears and snout are situated at the top of their head so they can hide almost totally submerged underwater for long periods of time. This is a particularly useful tactic for avoiding ending up on the menu of jaguars or even humans. Natives of Central and South American rainforests and open country, Capybara like to live near swamps, lakes or rivers. Their diet consists of grasses and aquatic plants.
Females are larger than the males and give birth to between one and seven babies at a time.
Their average lifespan is 10 years. The following pictures are of a family of Capybara who recently lived at Marwell Zoological Park in Hampshire, England. Spice was born at the zoo in December 1996. You can see in the pictures that he is very playful. A lthough definitely a rodent, on first sight the Mara resembles a short-eared hare.