Q 01/05

The capybara is native to every country in South America except which one?

A) Ecuador

B) Uruguay

C) Chile

D) Paraguay

Answer · why

C) Chile

The Andes wall the animal off from the Pacific side of the continent. It ranges from the Caribbean coast down to northern Argentina.

Q 02/05

The word 'capybara' comes from which indigenous South American language?

A) Tupi

B) Aymara

C) Quechua

D) Guaraní

Answer · why

A) Tupi

Tupi was spoken along the Atlantic coast of South America and gave Portuguese, and then English, dozens of animal names, including jaguar, piranha and...

Q 03/05

Translated literally, the capybara's indigenous name means roughly what?

A) Fat swimmer

B) Big mouse

C) Grass-eater

D) River dog

Answer · why

C) Grass-eater

The name is an agglutination of the words for leaf, slender, eat and an agent suffix, so it describes the animal by its diet.

Q 04/05

The genus name Hydrochoerus is built from Greek words meaning what?

A) Water pig

B) Marsh hare

C) Water horse

D) River rat

Answer · why

A) Water pig

The species name hydrochaeris adds a twist, pairing 'water' with a verb meaning to feel happy or enjoy.

Q 05/05

Molecular studies show the capybara's closest living relatives are which small South American rodents?

A) Chinchillas

B) Agoutis

C) Rock cavies

D) Nutrias

Answer · why

C) Rock cavies

The two lineages diverged in the late Middle Miocene and now share the subfamily Hydrochoerinae within the guinea pig family.