With a body length of 42 to 53 inches and height at shoulder of 20 to 24 inches. The weight of males are 77 to 140 pounds, of females are 80 to 145 pounds. They have small eyes set towards the top of the head. Thier front and rear legs are different lengths with the front being shorter. Toes are slightly webbed with 4 toes on the front feet and 3 toes on the rear feet.
Skin is tough and thinly haired with the color of the hair usually from brown to red.
Capabara live in South America east of the Andes Mountains ranging from Panama to northeastern Argentina. Mostly terrestrial in heavily vegetated swamps near water such as ponds, lakes, rivers and swamps. In the wild thier natural life span is 8 to 10 years although hunting reduces this to about 4 years. In zoos they will live approximately 12 years. Thier diet consists of primarily grasses that grow in or near the water plus water plants, melons and squash.