Foraging Strategies and Feeding Habits of Capybaras

Barreto, Guillermo R.; Quintana, Rubén D.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-4000-0_4

Cited by 18 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…According to Barreto and Quintana (2012), the consumption of certain species may be associated with periods of shortage in the supply of other food items or the local dominance of these species. These variations among locations in the items consumed are also influenced by the nutritional value of the plants.…”

Section: Similar Results Have Been Obtained By Other Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The partitioning of food resources between two rodents in the subtropical region of southern Brazil

Espinelli

Corrêa

Colares

et al. 2017

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

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The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and nutria (Myocastor coypus) are herbivorous semi-aquatic rodents. Although these rodents occur in sympatry in southern South America, little is known about how the two species interact in relationship to food resources. In this context, the aim of this study was to analyze the food resource overlap, the feeding strategy and the diversity of the diet of capybaras and nutria. A micro-histological analysis of feces was used to study the diets. A total of 48 plant species belonging to 10 families were identified in the diet of H. hydrochaeris, and a total of 49 species belonging to 14 families were identified in the diet of M. coypus. According to the Amundsen graphical method, both rodents adopted a specialized strategy for feeding on Poaceae and a generalized strategy for other families. The results of a multivariate analysis of the dietary data showed significant differences between the two rodent species and among the seasons. These differences between diets may be related to the different proportions of each food item eaten. However, the dietary overlap between the two rodents in the Taim wetland was high, suggesting that partitioning of other resources ensured the coexistence of the species.

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Section: Similar Results Have Been Obtained By Other Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The partitioning of food resources between two rodents in the subtropical region of southern Brazil

Espinelli

Corrêa

Colares

et al. 2017

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

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“…Capybaras are herbivorous semiaquatic mammals that graze near water bodies. They have an optimal consumer foraging, selecting high-quality forage during the season of food abundance and consuming a higher diversity of plants during the season of food scarcity (Barreto and Quintana 2013). Both for females and males (the latter only during the first period), seasonal differences were found in serum albumin levels, with declines in autumn-winter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of health of wild capybaras: biochemical and physiological parameters

et al. 2016

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Assessments of generic indices of health in wildlife populations increase our knowledge about the natural history of animal species and provide useful information for ecoepidemiological studies. However, there have been minimal studies on the parameters of hematological and biochemical parameters in wildlife. The goal of this study was to evaluate physiological dynamics of wild capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). To this aim, we evaluated biochemical and physiological parameters (blood cell counts, serum protein fractions, and spleen mass) and assessed their variability with sex, body condition, pregnancy status, and season. Samples (n = 67) were obtained from a managed population of free-ranging capybaras from Esteros del Iberá (Northeastern Argentina). The main findings reported were i) Kurloff cells (KC) were found in peripheral blood of both sexes, but levels were higher in females; ii) KC, eosinophil (E), and basophil (B) counts were positively associated with body condition; iii) pregnant females had different values of KC, B, and spleen mass than nonpregnant females; iv) albumin and KC (in females) and E and neutrophil (N) counts in males showed a seasonal pattern; and v) protein fractions of capybaras are reported for the first time. Life history traits such as pregnancy, seasonal processes, nutritional status, are reflected in some of the biochemical and physiological parameters evaluated here.

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“…Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris consumes grasses, aquatic plants, and occasionally bark, stems, and leaves (Ojasti, 1973). Recent observations show that H. hydrochaeris has preference for Hymenachne amplexicaulis (an aquatic grass) during the wet season, and feeds on Eleocharis interstincta (a reed) and Paratheria prostrata (a grass) during the dry season (Barreto and Quintana, 2013).…”

Section: Paleoecological Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Description of the Neochoerus specimens from the Late Pleistocene (Rancholabrean) of Chiapas, and comments on the taxonomic identity of the fossil capybaras from other Mexican localities

Carbot-Chanona

Eng-Ponce

Pérez

2020

BOL. SOC. GEOL. MEX.

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Aquí describimos los restos de N. aesopi encontrados en los sedimentos del Pleistoceno tardío que afloran en la localidad Los Mangos, en el Municipio de Villaflores, Chiapas, México. También, reexaminamos el material de capibaras de Jalisco y Puebla (referido como Hydrochoerus sp. y Neochoerus sp., respectivamente). Las características morfológicas mandibulares y dentales, así como las medidas de los especímenes examinados de Jalisco y Puebla permiten referirlos también como N. aesopi. La identificación definitiva de esta especie amplía su rango geográfico en América del Norte.

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Foraging Strategies and Feeding Habits of Capybaras

Cited by 18 publications

References 21 publications

The partitioning of food resources between two rodents in the subtropical region of southern Brazil

The partitioning of food resources between two rodents in the subtropical region of southern Brazil

Dynamics of health of wild capybaras: biochemical and physiological parameters

Description of the Neochoerus specimens from the Late Pleistocene (Rancholabrean) of Chiapas, and comments on the taxonomic identity of the fossil capybaras from other Mexican localities

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