Capybara

ka-pe-ba'ra, a water-loving animal found in the tropical regions of South America, especially in the waters of the Orinoco, the Amazon, and the La Plata. It is the largest rodent known. It belongs to the guinea-pig family. It is intermediate between the hare and the porcupine. It has a massive body covered with brown hair, and bare legs terminating in feet shaped rather for swimming than for walking. It has the stumpy tail of a small rabbit, a broad, flat head, small ears, the eyes of a pig, a broad nose, and teeth shaped like those of a muskrat. The Dutch settlers call it a water hare and sometimes a water hog. It lives in the grass along edges of streams, and takes to the water on the slightest alarm. It is the natural food of the South American anaconda, or water constrictor. It is an in-offensive animal. It attains a weight of 100 pounds. Its flesh is considered good eating. Its teeth are suitable for cutting off grass and sugar-cane, on which it chiefly feeds. Its visits are dreaded by the planter See Guinea-Pig