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   » » Wiki: Hydrochoerus
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The genus Hydrochoerus contains two living and three extinct species of rodents from , the Caribbean island of , and . Capybaras are the largest living rodents in the world. The genus name is derived from the ὕδωρ () plus χοίρος () .


Characteristics
Capybaras are , found in and near lakes, rivers, swamps, and flooded savanna. Their diets are dominated by grasses. Adults weigh up to . The is 130–150 days, with two to eight (most commonly four) young born to females.


Behavior
Capybaras are highly social, living in groups of up to 100 and communicating through a variety of vocalizations.Rowe and Honeycutt, 2002 Breeding is polygynous, with males forming harems.


Phylogeny and taxonomy
Molecular results have consistently suggested Hydrochoerus is most closely related to (the rock cavies), and the two evolved from within the . This led Woods and Kilpatrick to unite the two into the subfamily within the Caviidae. Based on use of a approach, Hydrochoerus appears to have diverged from Kerodon in the late Middle (about 12 million years ago).

The extinct North American species formerly recognized as Hydrochoerus holmesi is now assigned to .


Species

Extant Species

Fossils


Distribution
Presently, capybaras live in northern South America and adjacent southern Central America (lesser capybara) and in the tropical to subtropical regions of South America (capybara). The fossil species inhabited Buenos Aires Province in Argentina ( H. ballesterensis) and the Caribbean island of ( H. gaylordi). One species, H. hesperotiganites even ranged as far north as California. Fossils of unspecified Hydrochoerus have been found in to Holocene sediments of Curití, Santander, at an altitude of in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian . Fauna found at the same site included the South American tapir ( Tapirus terrestris), sp., ( Tayassu tajacu), white-lipped peccary ( Tayassu pecari), and sp. Curití, Santander at .orgHoffstetter, 1971, p.54


Bibliography

Further reading
  • (1999). 9780801857898, Johns Hopkins University Press.

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