on a capybara Capybaras are
semiaquatic mammals In 2011, one specimen was spotted on the
Central Coast of California. These escaped populations occur in areas where prehistoric capybaras inhabited;
late Pleistocene capybaras inhabited Florida and
Hydrochoerus hesperotiganites in
California and
Hydrochoerus gaylordi in
Grenada, and feral capybaras in North America may actually fill the ecological niche of the Pleistocene species.
Diet and predation Capybaras are
herbivores, grazing mainly on grasses and
aquatic plants, Like other rodents, a capybara's front teeth grow continually to compensate for the constant wear from eating grasses; their cheek teeth also grow continuously. hunting two juvenile capybaras Like its relative the guinea pig, the capybara does not have the capacity to synthesize
vitamin C, and capybaras not supplemented with vitamin C in captivity have been reported to develop
gum disease as a sign of
scurvy. The maximum lifespan of the capybara is 8 to 10 years, but in the wild capybaras usually do not live longer than four years because of predation from South American cats such as
jaguars,
ocelots and
cougars and from non-mammalian predators such as
eagles,
caimans and
green anacondas. ==Social organization==