Capybaras
Interesting facts about capybara will tell unknown information about this animal, which is also called waterhog.
Unlike all other rodents, capybara babies can stand a few minutes after birth and eat solid food on the fourth day.
Capybara mothers, in addition to their cubs, can also feed other babies from their family.
In some regions of South America, capybara meat is eaten, the skin is
used for various products, and the fat is used in pharmaceuticals.
In Argentina and Uruguay, capybaras are mainly used to make a variety of
hot pepper sausages.
Because of their love for water, about 300 years ago, priests of the Catholic Church classified the capybara as a fish and allowed their meat to be consumed during Lent.
Capybara's skin burns in the sun. To protect their skin from burning, they spend the hottest hours in water or lying in the mud.
And some more facts:
- Capybaras have 66 chromosomes in the diploid set.
- The capybara's cheek teeth grow throughout its life.
- Capybara females are larger in size than males.
- To be full, an animal needs to eat about 3.5 kg of grass per day.
- The main enemies of the capybara are jaguars and anacondas.
- Waterhogs are excellent divers and can stay under water for up to 5 minutes.
- They communicate with each other by quiet whistling and coughing.
- Adults never protect their children who are in trouble, but only warn of danger, which is why many teenagers become victims of predators.
- The lifespan of a capybara in natural conditions is about 10 years.