Capybara Facts for Kids
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris · hy-droh-KEER-us hy-droh-KEER-is
The biggest rodent in the world, and a very good swimmer.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 150 lb68 kg1
- 📏 3.9 ft1.2 m1 long
- 🎂 12 years12 years1
- 🍽️ plants
- Doing fine (Least Concern)
Capybaras are the biggest rodents. They love to swim. Birds sometimes sit on their backs!
A capybara is a rodent, a cousin of guinea pigs and rats, but much bigger. Its eyes, ears and nose sit high on its head, so it can keep them above the water while the rest of it floats. Its feet are partly webbed, which helps it paddle.
Capybaras live in groups near water and spend the day eating grass and water plants, then resting in the shade or in the water. If something scary comes near, they dive in and can stay under for quite a while. Like all rodents, they have front teeth that never stop growing, and chewing tough grass wears them down. Many other animals share their wetlands, from birds to turtles, and jaguars and anacondas hunt capybaras, so staying near the water is their best escape.
How big is a capybara?
Capybara in numbers
| Length | 3.9 ft1.2 m1four feet; the same sentence gives weight and shoulder height |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 24 in61 cm1at the shoulder |
| Weight | 150 lb68 kg1 |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 12 years12 years1 |
| What it eats | grasses and water plants |
| Where it lives | the wetlands, rivers and grassy shores of South America |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine (Least Concern)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A capybara's front teeth never stop growing.
- Birds often perch on a capybara's back.
- Capybaras purr, whistle and bark to talk to each other.
Compare the capybara
- 🐹 vs 🦫 North American beaver
- 🐹 vs 🐿️ Eastern gray squirrel
- 🐹 vs 🐍 Green anaconda
- ⚖️ Compare with any animal
Friends and neighbours
North American beaver
Jaguar
Green anacondaThree questions
Books about the capybara, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the capybara for free.
Where these numbers come from
- US Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species: capybara profile, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Capybara (Q131538), checked 30 October 2026.