Capybara
CapybaraCapybaraCapybaraCapybara

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
20–30% · Possible
overall probability at Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
50 Verified records at Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The capybara (/kæp.ɪˈbɑːr.ə, -băr′ə/ kap-uh-BAR-uh) or greater capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest living rodent, native to all countries in South America except Chile. It is a semiaquatic herbivore that inhabits savannas and dense forests, living near and in bodies of freshwater and feeding mainly on grasses and aquatic plants. Together with the lesser capybara, it constitutes the genus Hydrochoerus. Its other close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the nutria. The capybara is a highly social species that usually lives in groups of 10–20 individuals, but can be found in groups as large as 100. It is hunted for its meat and hide and for grease from its thick fatty skin. Wikipedia →

20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Capybara sighting in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, based on 50 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

Black Agouti
LC

Black Agouti

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Dasyprocta fuliginosa

10–20% · With luck
Spotted Paca
LC

Spotted Paca

🌙 Nocturnal Mammal

Cuniculus paca

5–10% · With luck
Long-tailed Porcupine

Long-tailed Porcupine

☀️🌙 Day & Night Mammal

Coendou longicaudatus

5–10% · With luck
🐒 No photo available
LC

Long-tailed Tree Rat

🌙 Nocturnal Mammal

Makalata macrura

Insufficient data
Yellow-crowned Brush-tailed Rat
LC

Yellow-crowned Brush-tailed Rat

☀️🌙 Day & Night Mammal

Isothrix bistriata

Insufficient data
bicolored arboreal rice rat
LC

bicolored arboreal rice rat

🌙 Nocturnal Mammal

Oecomys bicolor

Insufficient data
🐒 No photo available
LC

Amazon Bamboo Rat

☀️🌙 Day & Night Mammal

Dactylomys dactylinus

Insufficient data
Green Acouchi
LC

Green Acouchi

☀️🌙 Day & Night Mammal

Myoprocta pratti

Insufficient data
Northern Amazon Red Squirrel
LC Endemic

Northern Amazon Red Squirrel

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Sciurus igniventris

Insufficient data
Spiny Tree Rat
LC

Spiny Tree Rat

🌙 Nocturnal Mammal

Mesomys hispidus

Insufficient data
Western Amazonian Oryzomys
LC

Western Amazonian Oryzomys

☀️🌙 Day & Night Mammal

Hylaeamys perenensis

Insufficient data
🐒 No photo available
LC

Napo Spiny Rat

Mammal

Proechimys quadruplicatus

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
20–30
Feb
10–20
Mar
20–30
Apr
10–20
May
30–40
Jun
20–30
Jul
10–20
Aug
30–40
Sep
20–30
Oct
30–40
Nov
20–30
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
80–90%
2 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
80–90%
3 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
50–60%
4 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
40–50%
5 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
30–40%
6 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
20–30%
7 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
20–30%
8 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
20–30%
9 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
20–30%
10 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
10–20%
11 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
10–20%
12 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
10–20%
13 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
10–20%
14 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
15 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
16 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
17 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
18 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
19 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
20 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
21 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
22 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Capybara in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve?

About 25% of wildlife watchers report a Capybara sighting in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, based on 50 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Capybara in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve?

November has the highest sighting rate for Capybara in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in our monthly data.

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