Visit
plan your visit
- Plan Your Visit
- Buy admission tickets and plan your zoo adventure!
- Upcoming Events
- Check out what events, programs, and closures are coming up.
- Happy Hour
- 21+ after-hours event with live music, food and drinks.
- The zoo offers a variety of food, rental and souvenir options.
- Take a look at some of our tips and fun facts to make the most out of your zoo visit.
Plan Your Event
plan your event
- Birthday Parties
- Celebrate in style at the Sacramento Zoo.
- Weddings
- Say "I Do" at the Zoo!
- Host your event at one of the region’s most unique and memorable venues.
Animals
animals
- Animals
- Learn more about the animals that live here at the Sacramento Zoo.
- The zoo strives to provide uncompromising animal care, and conserve species and habitats around the world.
- Browse Donation
- Help feed the animals and donate your tree or shrub trimmings.
- Gifts for the Animals
- Treat the animals at the zoo to toys and enrichment on their wish list.
Conservation
conservation
- Conservation Partners
- View the zoo's conservation partners who are making a difference for species in the wild.
- Onsite Zoo Conservation
- Explore how the zoo shows its dedication to wildlife conservation.
- Take Conservation Action
- Learn how YOU can make a difference in wildlife conservation.
Education
education
- Behind-the-Scenes Tours
- Guided behind-the-scenes tours and encounters
- Field Trips and Groups
- Bring the whole class or group to have the wildest visit!
- Summer Camp
- Week-long summer programs for K - 12th grade
- Overnight Safari
- Overnight camping with educational programming
- Evening Programs
- Exclusive after-hours programs for the family
- Girl Scout Badge Days
- Morning programs with activities and presentations for Girl Scouts
- Little Peeps Pre-K Classes
- Classes designed for 3- to 5-year-olds with a caregiver
- Nature Explorers
- Drop-in, open play environment for all ages to explore the natural world
- Offsite Programs
- The ZooMobile program brings interactive science curriculum to your classroom
- Home Learning Resources
- Engaging science curriculum, right in your own home or classroom
Support
support
- Donate
- Make a tax-deductible cash donation
- Recurring Donors
- Spread your support throughout the year
- Donate a Vehicle or Real Estate
- Support with your gift of a vehicle or real estate donation
- Other Ways to Give
- Memorial and tribute gifts, in-kind donations, and more
- Sponsorship Opportunities
- Become a corporate hero and partner with the zoo
- Sponsor a Zoo Animal
- Join the Zoo Parent program
- Volunteer
- Become a Sacramento Zoo volunteer
- Become a Member
- Support the zoo and receive great benefits, like free general admission for a year.
- Donate to the New Zoo
- Join us in our Vision for a Wild Tomorrow and help make the New Zoo a reality.
About
about
- New Zoo
- With your help, the Sacramento Zoological Society and the City of Elk Grove will create a New Zoo with an entirely new level of experience that will forever redefine zoological parks.
- Board Of Trustees
- Contact Us
Hydrocho*rus hydrochaeris
Behavior
Capybara are semi-aquatic, meaning they are adapted for a life both in the water and on the land. They are variable in activity schedules throughout the year depending on a variety of factors. Hunting pressures from predators, food availability, and the type of habitat all play a role in determining if capybara are diurnal (active in the daytime) or nocturnal (active at night). These same factors also determine the group size which can range from one or two animals to a large herd of up to 30. Generally, they are found in small groups of about 10 composed of a dominant male, one or more females, subordinate males, and youngsters.
Because of their seasonal adaptability, the diet of the capybara runs the gamut from grasses and water plants in the wet season to roots, squashes and melons in the dry season when they spend more time on land. They use their constantly growing front teeth to cut off the plants and chew them thoroughly to break down all the cellulose for easy digestion. Although they are not ruminants like cows or giraffes, they will cough up undigested food to be rechewed, which aids them in eating such tough plant materials.
Reproduction and Breeding
Capybara breed throughout the year in the wild, with peak activity occurring at the beginning of the rainy season. They are polygynous (multiple females for one male) to promiscuous with dominant males trying to monopolize mating activity, which can be nearly impossible in the larger groups. Males follow females that are coming into estrus, but are often run off by the dominant male, who then takes his place and mates with that female.
The young are born precocial (able to fend for themselves) and are up and walking shortly after birth. Baby capybara are grazing within a week of birth but are not fully weaned until three to four months of age. They remain with their natal group with the other youngsters getting protection from predators from the whole group until they are a year old.
.jpg "Capybara | Sacramento Zoo (13)")
Conservation
The capybara is not currently classified as anendangeredspecies although it is threatened bydeforestation, habitat destruction, and illegal poaching.This species is considered locally common and widespread, but uncommon or rare in populated areas of the Amazon. They are hunted for their hair and meat which adds some conservation pressures as well.
Fun Facts
- The capybara is the largest rodent in the world.
- While vocalization is very important to capybara groups, scientists have yet to discover the purpose of all the sounds they make.
- Capybara eat their own feces, usually the next morning, to add protein-rich microbes to their digestive tract to assist with breaking down cellulose material.
