Capybara

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

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2. Biology, Ecology and Evolution

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Taxonomy, Natural History and Distribution of the Capybara

      • José Roberto Moreira, Martin R. Alvarez, Teresa Tarifa, Víctor Pacheco, Andrew Taber, Diego G. Tirira et al.

      Pages 3-37

   3. Paleontology, Evolution and Systematics of Capybara

      • María Guiomar Vucetich, Cecilia M. Deschamps, María E. Pérez

      Pages 39-59

   4. Phylogenetics of Caviomorph Rodents and Genetic Perspectives on the Evolution of Sociality and Mating Systems in the Caviidae

      • Rodney L. Honeycutt

      Pages 61-81

   5. Foraging Strategies and Feeding Habits of Capybaras

      • Guillermo R. Barreto, Rúben D. Quintana

      Pages 83-96

   6. Capybara Digestive Adaptations

      • Emilio A. Herrera

      Pages 97-106

   7. Reproductive Morphology and Physiology of the Male Capybara

      • Tarcízio A. R. Paula, Nicholas J. Walker

      Pages 107-129

   8. Morphology and Reproductive Physiology of Female Capybaras

      • Maria Angélica Miglino, Tatiana Carlesso dos Santos, Claudia Kanashiro, Rosa Helena dos Santos Ferraz

      Pages 131-146

   9. Capybara Demographic Traits

      • José Roberto Moreira, Helga Wiederhecker, Katia Maria P. M. B. Ferraz, Juanita Aldana-Domínguez, Luciano M. Verdade, David W. Macdonald

      Pages 147-167

   10. Diseases of Capybara

       • Gerardo Rubén Cueto

       Pages 169-184

   11. Capybara Scent Glands and Scent-Marking Behavior

       • David W. Macdonald, Emilio A. Herrera

       Pages 185-193

   12. Capybara Social Behavior and Use of Space: Patterns and Processes

       • Emilio A. Herrera

       Pages 195-207

3. Production

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 209-209

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   2. Products and Uses of Capybaras

      • Max S. Pinheiro, José Roberto Moreira

      Pages 211-227

   3. Confined and Semi-confined Production Systems for Capybaras

      • Sérgio L. G. Nogueira-Filho, Max S. Pinheiro, Selene S. C. Nogueira

      Pages 229-241

   4. Social and Spatial Relationships of Capybaras in a Semi-confined Production System

      • Katia Maria P. M. B. Ferraz, Patrícia Izar, Takechi Sato, Sílvia M. Nishida

      Pages 243-260

   5. Feeds and Nutrition of Farmed Capybaras

      • Alcester Mendes, Sérgio L. G. Nogueira-Filho

      Pages 261-274

   6. The Impact of Management Practices on Female Capybara Reproductive Parameters in Captivity

      • Sérgio L. G. Nogueira-Filho, Selene S. C. Nogueira

      Pages 275-282

   7. The Sustainable Management of Capybaras

      • José Roberto Moreira, Luciano M. Verdade, Katia Maria P. M. B. Ferraz, David W. Macdonald

      Pages 283-302

The capybara is the neotropical mammal with the highest potential for production and domestication. Amongst the favorable characteristics for domestication we can list its high prolificacy, rapid growth rate, a herbivorous diet, social behavior and relative tameness. The genus (with only two species) is found from the Panama Canal to the north of Argentina on the east of the Andes. Chile is the only country in South America where the capybara is not found. The species is eaten all over its range, especially by poor, rural and traditional communities engaged in subsistence hunting. On the other hand, in large urban settlements wildlife is consumed by city dwellers as a delicacy. The sustainable management of capybara in the wild has been adopted by some South American countries, while others have encouraged capybara rearing in captivity.

• Fish and Wildlife Biology

• Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnolog, Brasília, Brazil

  José Roberto Moreira

• , Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil

  Katia Maria P.M.B. Ferraz

• Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela

  Emilio A. Herrera

• , Zoology Dept., University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

  David W. Macdonald

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