Informative Speech On Capybaras

Capybaras, the largest rodents in the world. Maybe you know some information about capybaras, or maybe you’ve never heard of one before. Regardless of your prior knowledge, today I will teach you all about capybaras. First, I will be describing a capybara for you. Then, I will tell you where capybaras live. Finally, I will tell you what they eat.

Firstly, let's talk a bit about what a capybara is. Capybaras are part of the Caviidae family, alongside other rodents from South America such as guinea pigs and wild cavies. Being the largest semi-aquatic rodent in the world, an adult capybara stands at an average of 2 feet tall at the shoulder and 4 feet long from head to tail. They typically weigh anywhere from 75 to 145 pounds, although females

The average lifespan of this animal is around 8-10 years, although they typically only live an average of 4 years or less in the wild due to predators. Capybaras have somewhat of a barrel-shaped body, with blunt snouts, small ears, short and stubby legs with big, slightly webbed feet, almost no tail, and long, wiry fur. Speaking of their fur, an interesting feature about capybaras is their unique, reddish-brown fur. Their coat is very coarse and sparse, allowing them to dry off quickly after swimming. You can also see some of their grayish skin underneath. Since these animals are semi-aquatic and spend most of their time near water or swimming in it, they have quite tough and waterproof skin to accommodate this lifestyle. There are also some other adaptations this animal has for swimming, such as the ability to hold their breath underwater for up to 5 minutes at time, and their eyes, ears, and nostrils are all located near the top of their head so they can stay submerged and almost completely hidden in the water, much like a hippo does. They are very

Capybaras are native to South America. They live throughout almost every country on the continent, in places like Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina. The only place in South America where you won’t find capybaras is in Chile, because they simply can’t make it over the Andes Mountains to get there. These animals inhabit areas with thick vegetation and easy accessibility to large bodies of water, such as forests, marshes, savannas, and swampy, grassy areas along rivers, lakes, ponds and streams. Now, although capybaras are native to South America, there have been a few accounts of them in other countries. While there isn’t an officially confirmed population of them, there have been many sightings of capybaras all over Florida. It is most likely that the capybaras spotted in Florida are released pets, or have escaped captivity. However, so far they don’t pose any threat to the natural environment or to humans, except maybe for the occasional garden raid, looking for melons or grains. Another remarkable place you can find these animals is Japan. Several capybaras were taken to Japan to be housed in zoos in the 1960’s, where everyone fell in love with the animals' social, gentle nature. They now continue to inhabit zoos and animal parks all over Japan. They even provide their capybara residents with their own custom-made hot springs, otherwise known as an onsen. The capybaras especially enjoy spending time in these hot