![]() The animal lacks down hair, and its guard hair differs little from over hair. Its sweat glands can be found in the surface of the hairy portions of its skin, an unusual trait among rodents. The capybara has a heavy, barrel-shaped body and short head, with reddish-brown fur on the upper part of its body that turns yellowish-brown underneath. Description Taxidermy specimen of a capybara The fossil genera Cardiatherium, Phugatherium, Hydrochoeropsis, and Neochoerus are all capybaras under that concept. Īmong fossil species, the name "capybara" can refer to the many species of Hydrochoerinae that are more closely related to the modern Hydrochoerus than to the "cardiomyine" rodents like Cardiomys. In one instance, material once referred to four genera and seven species on the basis of differences in molar shape is now thought to represent differently aged individuals of a single species, Cardiatherium paranense. This is largely due to the recognition that capybara molar teeth show strong variation in shape over the life of an individual. In recent years, the diversity of fossil hydrochoerines has been substantially reduced. The taxonomy of fossil hydrochoerines is also in a state of flux. Paleontological classifications previously used Hydrochoeridae for all capybaras, while using Hydrochoerinae for the living genus and its closest fossil relatives, such as Neochoerus, but more recently have adopted the classification of Hydrochoerinae within Caviidae. Since 2002, molecular phylogenetic studies have recognized a close relationship between Hydrochoerus and Kerodon, the rock cavies, supporting placement of both genera in a subfamily of Caviidae. The living capybaras and their extinct relatives were previously classified in their own family Hydrochoeridae. The capybara and the lesser capybara both belong to the subfamily Hydrochoerinae along with the rock cavies. The scientific name, both hydrochoerus and hydrochaeris, comes from Greek ὕδωρ ( hydor "water") and χοῖρος ( choiros "pig, hog"). Its common name is derived from Tupi ka'apiûara, a complex agglutination of kaá (leaf) + píi (slender) + ú (eat) + ara (a suffix for agent nouns), meaning "one who eats slender leaves", or "grass-eater". The capybara is hunted for its meat and hide and also for grease from its thick fatty skin. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually live in groups of 10–20 individuals. The capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests, and lives near bodies of water. Its close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the nutria. The only other extant member is the lesser capybara ( Hydrochoerus isthmius). It is the largest living rodent and a member of the genus Hydrochoerus. Netflix also served up a helping of jaguar-caiman action recently in a sequence filmed for the David Attenborough-narrated series Our Planet (it's a predation bonanza if you're a jaguar fan!).The capybara or greater capybara ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a giant cavy rodent native to South America. ![]() Indeed, the latest footage is not the first time we've seen the big cats take on reptilian prey. Studies in the Pantanal – a swathe of wetland covering 70,000 square miles (181,300 square kilometres) in the centre of South America – have shown that jaguars target caimans across a broad size range. ![]() In the cat family, they are stocked with some of the strongest jaws for their size and have the brawn to back it up. These burly cats are built for tackling sizeable prey. The jaguar administers an impressive chokehold, but to dispatch prey of this size, it will need to resort to its trademark killing bite delivered to the back of the head or skull. It returns with a hefty caiman clasped between its jaws. The jaguar closes in on its target and lunges below the surface disappearing momentarily in a splash of white. "With each step a trap could snap shut," he explains, reminding us that this river is filled with teeth. The clip kicks off with a jaguar lurking jaw-high in a stretch of murky water while Bear Grylls narrates. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |