CAPYBARA or CARPINCHO (Hydrochaerus capybara), the largest living rodent characterized by its partially-webbed toes, of which there are four in front and three behind, hoof-like nails, sparse hair, short ears, cleft upper lip and the absence of a tail (see RODENTIA). Capybaras are aquatic rodents, frequenting the banks of lakes and rivers in South America from Guiana to the river Plate. They associate in herds, and spend most of the day in covert on the banks, feeding in the evening and morning. They swim and dive with expertness, often remaining below the surface for several minutes. Their food consists of water-plants and bark, but in cultivated districts they do much harm to crops.
Their cry is a low, abrupt grunt. From five to eight is the usual number in a litter, of which there appears to be only one in the year. Extinct species of capybara occur in the Tertiary deposits of Argentina, some considerably larger than the living form. Capybaras belong to the family Caviidae. When full-grown the length of the animal is about 4 ft., and the girth 3 ft.