Adult capybaras usually measure 106 to 134 cm (about 3.5 to 4.4 feet) long, stand 50 to 62 cm (20 to 24 inches) tall at the shoulder, and weigh 35 to 66 kg (77 to 146 pounds), according to Wikipedia’s capybara entry. That makes them the largest living rodents on Earth. The heaviest wild capybara on record was a 91 kg (200 lb) female in Brazil.
How big is a capybara, in everyday terms? #
Picture a large, barrel-shaped dog with short legs and no tail, and you’re close. A capybara’s back comes up to about knee or lower-thigh height on an adult, and it’s long enough to take up most of a sofa cushion lengthwise. A heavy one can outweigh a small adult human.
Their close relatives are guinea pigs and rock cavies. If you’ve ever held a guinea pig, a capybara is roughly the same shape, scaled up many times over.
Why do sources give different sizes? #
Different zoos and references measure different populations, and weight varies a lot between individuals and between males and females. Here’s how three well-known sources put it:
| Source | Length | Shoulder height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 106 to 134 cm | 50 to 62 cm | 35 to 66 kg (77 to 146 lb) |
| San Diego Zoo | 100 to 130 cm (3.2 to 4.2 ft) | About 50 cm (1.6 ft) | 27 to 79 kg (60 to 174 lb), depending on sex |
| National Geographic | Up to about 1.4 m (4.6 ft) | Up to about 60 cm (2 ft) | 35 to 65 kg (77 to 143 lb) |
The overlap is what matters. A typical adult is a little over a meter long and weighs somewhere around 35 to 65 kg. Wikipedia notes that capybaras in Venezuela’s Llanos grasslands average 48.9 kg, which is a good middle figure.
What are the heaviest capybaras on record? #
Wikipedia lists a few standouts from the wild:
- 91 kg (200 lb): a wild female in Brazil, the heaviest on record
- 81 kg (179 lb): a capybara recorded in São Paulo in 2001 and 2002
- 73.5 kg (162 lb): a wild male in Uruguay
Records like these are outliers. Most adults are far lighter, and a capybara over 70 kg is exceptionally large.
How big are baby capybaras? #
Tiny, by comparison. The San Diego Zoo says newborns weigh 1 to 1.5 kg (2 to 3 pounds). Pregnancy lasts five to six months, a litter can have up to eight pups, and capybaras reach maturity at about 15 months old. In that time they grow roughly 30 to 50 times heavier.
Is there a smaller capybara? #
Yes. There are two living species. The one most people know is the capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, found across much of South America. The lesser capybara, Hydrochoerus isthmius, lives in eastern Panama, northwestern Colombia and western Venezuela. It’s smaller and much less studied, and it’s listed as data deficient for conservation status.
A body built for water #
A capybara’s size comes with a semi-aquatic body plan:
- Eyes, ears and nostrils sit high on the head, so it can stay almost fully underwater and still see, hear and breathe.
- Partly webbed feet make it a strong swimmer. It has four toes on each front foot and three on each back foot.
- It can hold its breath for up to five minutes, according to both Wikipedia and the San Diego Zoo.
That big, rounded frame also spends a lot of time sitting still. Capybaras rest on land in the morning, cool off in the water during the hot early afternoon, and graze from late afternoon through the night. We cover their menu in what do capybaras eat.
Do capybaras keep growing all their lives? #
No. They grow quickly for their first year or so and reach adult size around maturity, at about 15 months. What does keep growing is their teeth. Like other rodents, a capybara’s front teeth grow continuously to make up for wear from chewing grass, and so do its cheek teeth.
Small on your screen #
If you like capybaras at a more pocket-sized scale, Chill Capy is a virtual pet game about a round cartoon capybara who lives in a hot spring. His snacks start with plain grass, because, as the game puts it, he is a large rodent, and the app shows one real capybara fact a day. Our guide to the capybara virtual pet game covers how it plays.
For how long those large rodents live, see how long do capybaras live.
Frequently asked questions #
Is a capybara bigger than a dog? #
A capybara is bigger than most dogs. Adults usually weigh 35 to 66 kg, which is heavier than many large breeds, and they’re long and barrel-shaped rather than tall.
What is the largest rodent in the world? #
The capybara. Adults usually weigh 35 to 66 kg and measure over a meter long, far bigger than beavers, porcupines or any other living rodent.
How tall is a capybara? #
About 50 to 62 cm (20 to 24 inches) at the shoulder. That’s roughly knee height or a little above on an adult person.
How much does a baby capybara weigh? #
About 1 to 1.5 kg (2 to 3 pounds) at birth, according to the San Diego Zoo. They reach maturity at around 15 months.
Are male or female capybaras bigger? #
The San Diego Zoo says weight depends on sex, and the heaviest wild capybara on record was a 91 kg female from Brazil. Individual variation is large, so you can’t reliably tell sex from size alone.