Hydrochoerus

The genus Hydrochoerus contains two living and three extinct species of rodents from South America, the Caribbean island of Grenada, California and Panama.<ref name=msw3>Template:MSW3 Woods</ref> Capybaras are the largest living rodents in the world. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdor), meaning "water", and χοῖρος (khoîros), meaning "pig".

Characteristics

Capybaras are semiaquatic, found in and near lakes, rivers, swamps, and flooded savanna. Their diets are dominated by grasses. Adults weigh up to Template:Convert. The gestation period 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.<ref name=Rowe2002>Rowe and Honeycutt, 2002</ref> Breeding is polygynous, with males forming harems.

Phylogeny and taxonomy

Molecular results have consistently suggested Hydrochoerus is most closely related to Kerodon (the rock cavies), and the two evolved from within the Caviidae.<ref name=Rowe2002/> This led Woods and Kilpatrick to unite the two into the subfamily Hydrochoerinae within the Caviidae.<ref name=msw3/> Based on use of a molecular clock approach, Hydrochoerus appears to have diverged from Kerodon in the late Middle Miocene (about 12 million years ago).<ref name = "Opazo">Template:Cite journal</ref>

The extinct North American species formerly recognized as Hydrochoerus holmesi is now assigned to Neochoerus.<ref name = "Fossilworks_N._aesopi">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Species

Fossils

• † Hydrochoerus ballesterensis – Pliocene capybara endemic to Argentina<ref name=FWBallesterensis>Hydrochoerus ballesterensis at Fossilworks.org</ref>
• † Hydrochoerus gaylordi – Plio-Pleistocene capybara endemic to the Caribbean island of Grenada<ref name = "MacPhee">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=FWGaylordi>Hydrochoerus gaylordi at Fossilworks.org</ref>
• † Hydrochoerus hesperotiganites – Late Pleistocene capybara endemic to North America (San Diego County, California)<ref name=hesperotiganites>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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 Grenada (H. gaylordi). One species, H. hesperotiganites even ranged as far north as California.<ref name=hesperotiganites/> Fossils of unspecified Hydrochoerus have been found in Late Pleistocene to Holocene sediments of Curití, Santander, at an altitude of Template:Convert in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. Fauna found at the same site included the South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris), Cryptotis sp., collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu), white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), and Mazama sp.<ref name=FWCuriti>Curití, Santander at Fossilworks.org</ref><ref name=Hoffstetter_p54>Hoffstetter, 1971, p.54</ref>

References

Bibliography

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Further reading

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