🦫 North American beaver vs Capybara 🐹
The capybara is a bit bigger than the North American beaver. The capybara weighs about 3 times as much as the North American beaver.
| Row | 🦫 North American beaver | 🐹 Capybara |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the capybara yet. | 5 mph8.1 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The capybara weighs about 3 times as much as the North American beaver. | 35 to 60 lb16 to 27 kg2 | 150 lb68 kg3 |
| Lives The capybara lives a bit longer than the North American beaver. | 8 to 10 years8 to 10 years1 | 12 years12 years3 |
| Eats Both eat plants. | bark, twigs, leaves and water plants | grasses and water plants |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | streams, rivers and lakes in the forests of North America | the wetlands, rivers and grassy shores of South America |
Which one? North American beaver or capybara
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the capybara yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
Compare two more
Getting the animals ready…
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/beaver-vs-capybara
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Prince William Forest Park, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Acadia, checked 30 October 2026.
- US Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species: capybara profile, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.