Our favourite neighbours are a group of 15 capybaras, found lounging on a nearby island for most of the day. In the same family as guinea pigs and famous for being the world’s largest rodent they are certainly sizeable; adults are 1 to 1.3 metres long, 50 to 60 cm tall and weigh up to 66 Kg. With eyes, ears and nostrils on top of the head and semi-webbed feet they are excellent swimmers and can remain underwater for up to 5 minutes. Grazing on grasses and aquatic plants they do a good job of keeping waterside vegetation in check. Like the caiman, capybaras arrived naturally once the wetlands were created and now form an important part of the ecosystem.
Rodents in residence
On the trail of tanagers 