No, capybaras can’t breathe underwater. They’re mammals with lungs, so they need air like we do. What they can do is stay completely submerged for up to about five minutes, which is how they hide from predators. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Animal Diversity Web both give that five-minute figure.
That combination, excellent swimmer but air-breather, is why capybaras spend so much of their lives in water and why their bodies look the way they do.
How long can a capybara stay underwater? #
Up to about five minutes at a time, according to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Animal Diversity Web. They use that time mainly to hide: a capybara that senses danger on land heads for the water and disappears under the surface until the threat moves on.
Five minutes is short compared with a seal, but long for a rodent, and more than enough to lose a predator waiting on the bank.
How are capybaras built for water? #
Capybaras are the largest living rodents, weighing roughly 35 to 66 kg (77 to 146 lb) as adults and measuring about 1.2 m long. Their bodies are adapted for a life split between land and water.
Eyes, ears and nostrils on top of the head #
A capybara’s eyes, ears and nostrils sit high on its head. That lets it float with almost its whole body underwater while still breathing, watching and listening. Hippos and crocodiles use the same trick.
Partially webbed feet #
Capybaras have four toes on each front foot and three on each back foot, joined by partial webbing. The webbing works like small paddles in water and helps spread their weight on soft, muddy banks.
A body that nearly floats #
Animal Diversity Web notes that capybaras are strong swimmers, “helped by the fact that their bodies are only slightly denser than water.” They don’t have to work hard to stay up, which leaves their energy for moving and hiding.
Coarse fur #
Their fur is coarse and fairly sparse, with no soft underlayer. It doesn’t hold much water, so a capybara isn’t weighed down when it climbs out.
Why do capybaras spend so much time in water? #
To hide from predators #
Jaguars are the main natural threat to adult capybaras. Young capybaras also face caimans, ocelots, harpy eagles and anacondas. Water is the escape route from land hunters, though not from caimans and anacondas, which is why swimming well matters.
To keep cool #
Capybaras live in hot parts of South America. They typically rest on land in the morning, cool off in the water during the hottest part of the afternoon, and graze in the evening and at night. Unusually for rodents, they do have sweat glands in their skin, but water is still their main way to beat the heat.
To eat #
They’re herbivores that graze mainly on grasses and aquatic plants. Being at home in the water gives them access to food that land grazers can’t reach.
Can capybaras sleep underwater? #
No. Sleeping fully underwater would mean drowning, since they have to surface to breathe. They do spend long, lazy stretches in water on hot days with just their eyes, ears and nostrils showing, which is where many of the famous “chill capybara” photos come from.
Why do video game capybaras “drown”? #
In real life, a river is a capybara’s safe place. In most arcade games, it’s the most dangerous lane on the screen.
In Capybara Crossing, for example, rivers are something you cross by hopping on drifting logs, lily pads and turtles, not something you swim. Land in the water, or ride a log off the edge of the screen, and the run ends. Turtles dive now and then, so you have to hop off before they go under, which makes the turtles better divers than the capybara.
Game designers do this because it creates the challenge. If your capybara could swim across every river, the logs and turtles would have no purpose. Frogger set the rule in 1981, and road-crossing games have kept it ever since. It’s unfair to capybaras, but it makes a better game. If it keeps catching you out, our Capybara Crossing tips cover river crossings.
For how fast capybaras move in the water, see can capybaras swim fast?
Quick capybara water facts #
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can they breathe underwater? | No, they breathe air with lungs |
| How long can they stay under? | Up to about 5 minutes |
| Webbed feet? | Partially, with 4 toes in front and 3 behind |
| Why the high-set eyes and nostrils? | To see and breathe while almost fully submerged |
| Main predator of adults | Jaguar |
| Closest relatives | Guinea pigs and rock cavies |
Frequently asked questions #
How long can a capybara hold its breath? #
Up to about five minutes, according to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Animal Diversity Web. They mostly use this to hide from predators by staying under until the danger passes.
Can baby capybaras swim? #
Capybara babies are precocial, meaning they’re born well developed. They’re up and moving within hours of birth and start grazing within about a week, and they stay close to the group, including in the water.
Are capybaras related to beavers or otters? #
No. Capybaras are rodents in the cavy family, Caviidae, and their closest relatives are guinea pigs and rock cavies. Beavers are a different rodent family, and otters aren’t rodents at all: they’re carnivores in the weasel family.
Why do capybaras have eyes and nostrils on top of their heads? #
So they can stay almost completely underwater while still breathing, seeing and hearing. It helps them hide from predators and keep cool without leaving the water.