Capybara

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Capybara in Brasilia?

Possible. About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Capybara sighting in Brasilia on a given day, based on 65 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Capybara in Brasilia?

May, October and December–March. In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Capybara in Brasilia on a given day, against about 10% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Brasilia's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Capybara?

Between 3 and 6 pm. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Capybara sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Brasilia the best place to see a Capybara?

7th of 16. Of the 16 cities where we can rate Capybara sightings, Brasilia ranks 7th at about 30%. The best odds are in Campo Grande (Brazil, about 70%), Curitiba (Brazil, about 70%) and Recife (Brazil, about 50%).

Q: Where does the Capybara sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Capybara is recorded against all the mammals logged in Brasilia (65 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassMammalia (Mammals)
OrderRodentia (Rodents)
FamilyCaviidae (Cavies)
GenusHydrochoerus (Capybaras)
SpeciesHydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Capybara)

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

at Brasilia

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

65 Verified sightings at Brasilia

1,322 In all 11 parks From 2019 to 2026

May Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

Challenge Wetland Giants South AmericaEasy

Challenge Wild Neighbours of South American Cities South AmericaMedium

About the Capybara

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.

Its common name is derived from Tupi ka'apiûara, a complex agglutination of kaá (leaf) + píi (slender) + ú (eat) + ara (a suffix for agent nouns), meaning "one who eats slender leaves", or "grass-eater". The genus name, hydrochoerus, comes from Greek ὕδωρ (hýdor "water") and χοῖρος (choíros "pig, hog") and the species name, hydrochaeris, comes from Greek ὕδωρ (hýdor "water") and χαίρω (chairo "feel happy... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:05

Argentina · 2023

Recording0:04

Uruguay · 2023

Recording0:20

Argentina · 2024

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Known range (Mammal Diversity Database, Marsh et al. 2022)Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 392 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	El Palmar National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~90%
2	Iberá National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~80%
3	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	~80%
4	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	~50%
5	El Impenetrable National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~40%
6	Manu National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	~40%
7	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~30%
8	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~30%
9	Iguazú National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~20%
10	Tijuca National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~20%
11	Iguaçu National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~20%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Campo Grande	🇧🇷 Brazil	~70%
2	Curitiba	🇧🇷 Brazil	~70%
3	Recife	🇧🇷 Brazil	~50%
4	João Pessoa	🇧🇷 Brazil	~50%
5	Campinas	🇧🇷 Brazil	~40%
6	Santa Cruz de la Sierra	🇧🇴 Bolivia	~40%
7	Brasilia	🇧🇷 Brazil	~30%
8	Belém	🇧🇷 Brazil	~30%
9	Rio de Janeiro	🇧🇷 Brazil	~30%
10	São Paulo	🇧🇷 Brazil	~30%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
2	Everland	🇰🇷 South Korea	In captivity
3	Ragunan Zoo	🇮🇩 Indonesia	In captivity
4	Chimelong Spaceship	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
5	Busch Gardens Tampa	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
6	San Diego Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
7	Moscow Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	In captivity
8	Pairi Daiza	🇧🇪 Belgium	In captivity
9	Prague Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
10	National Zoological Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
11	ZooParc de Beauval	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
12	Leipzig Zoological Garden	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
13	Denver Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
14	Copenhagen Zoo	🇩🇰 Denmark	In captivity
15	Natura Artis Magistra	🇳🇱 Netherlands	In captivity
16	Cleveland Metroparks Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
17	Zürich Zoo	🇨🇭 Switzerland	In captivity
18	Planckendael Zoo	🇧🇪 Belgium	In captivity
19	Barcelona Zoo	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
20	Le Pal	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
21	Zlín-Lešná Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
22	Paris Zoological Park	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
23	Zoo Pilsen	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
24	Fota Wildlife Park	🇮🇪 Ireland	In captivity
25	Jihlava Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
26	Zoologic park de Lille	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
27	Abilene Zoological Gardens	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
28	Zoo de Maubeuge	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
29	Kaliningrad Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	In captivity
30	Zoobotánico Jerez	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
31	La Tanière	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
32	Zoo d'Amiens	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
33	Zoobotanic Park of Brusque	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
34	Silver Springs	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
35	Parque Temático Hacienda Nápoles	🇨🇴 Colombia	In captivity
36	Dalian forest zoo	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
37	Uminonakamichi Seaside Park	🇯🇵 Japan	In captivity
38	Bioparque Estrella	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
39	San Diego Zoo Safari Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
40	Beijing Wildlife Park	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
41	Taman Safari Indonesia	🇮🇩 Indonesia	In captivity
42	Toronto Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
43	Taman Safari Bogor	🇮🇩 Indonesia	In captivity
44	Taipei Zoo	🇹🇼 Taiwan	In captivity
45	Port Lympne Wild Animal Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	In captivity
46	Columbus Zoo and Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
47	Poznań Nowe Zoo	🇵🇱 Poland	In captivity
48	Kyushu African Safari	🇯🇵 Japan	In captivity
49	Ningbo Wildlife Park	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
50	Parc du Belvédère	🇹🇳 Tunisia	In captivity

Show all 50 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Brasilia

No species of the same family or order lives in Brasilia, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.

LC Endemic

Callithrix penicillata

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Didelphis albiventris

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

NT Endemic

Sapajus libidinosus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Capybara in Brasilia?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Capybara sighting in Brasilia on a given day, based on 65 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Capybara in Brasilia?

May, October and December–March

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Capybara in Brasilia on a given day, against about 10% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Brasilia's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.

What time of day is best to see a Capybara?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Capybara sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Brasilia the best place to see a Capybara?

7th of 16

Of the 16 cities where we can rate Capybara sightings, Brasilia ranks 7th at about 30%. The best odds are in Campo Grande (Brazil, about 70%), Curitiba (Brazil, about 70%) and Recife (Brazil, about 50%).

Where does the Capybara sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Capybara is recorded against all the mammals logged in Brasilia (65 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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