Hydrochoerus isthmius
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius) is a large semi-aquatic rodent found in South America that has vast similarities with, yet subtle differences from, the slightly larger common capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), the largest species of rodent in the world.
The lesser capybara mainly inhabits areas close to water such as marshes, ponds, and lagoon habitats as these places offer water, which is essential for these capybaras to fulfil their niches' of maintain body temperature homeostasis, provide suitable food, hide from predators, and mate. They were first observed in Pacific river valleys in Panama as early as 1912 as a subspecies of the common capybara. However, after thorough studies on the anatomy and genealogy of them, the lesser capybara was classified as its own species some time in the 1980s. Currently, this species has expanded its range to parts of Eastern Panama and Western Colombia and Venezuela, just west of the Andes Mountains. The lesser capybara constitutes the northernmost population of any extant capybara species, other than the now extinct H. hesperotiganites from Pleistocene California.
Lesser capybaras are herbivores that mainly... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taman Safari Bali (Bali Safari) | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Yumka' | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Africam Safari | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Parque Zoologico Guátika | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | Zacango Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Chapultepec Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Schönbrunn Zoo | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 9 | Gladys Porter Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Parque de la Conservación | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 11 | Parc zoologique de Bordeaux Pessac | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Zoológico Municipal de Loja | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 13 | Buenaventura Zoo | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | Selva Viva Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 15 | Acuario Michin Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Capybara sighting in Soberanía National Park on a given day, based on 108 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 36 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and December–January
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Capybara in Soberanía National Park on a given day, against about 20% in March and April, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Capybara sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Lesser Capybara sightings, Soberanía National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Parque Natural Metropolitano (Panama, about 10%).
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Lesser Capybara that you can see in Soberanía National Park (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Central American Agouti (about 70%), Red-tailed Squirrel (about 30%) and Variegated Squirrel (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Capybara is recorded against all the mammals logged in Soberanía National Park (108 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
