Two of the largest rodents in the world are roaming part of the Denver Zoo as “welcome guests.”
Rodrigo and Gabriella, brother and sister capybaras, are now living in the Tropical Discovery exhibit, zoo officials said in a news release Thursday.
The rodents look a little like guineas pigs. The two were born Feb. 17 and came to Denver from the Buffalo Zoo in New York.
Capybaras, the largest rodents in the world, thrive in central and South America. They spend some time on land, but their webbed toes and the orientation of their eyes, nostrils and ears — located near top of their heads — make them agile swimmers. Thus their name, which is Greek for “water pig.”
They can stay underwater for five minutes and sometimes sleep underwater, with their noses hovering above the surface to breathe.
They grow to be about 4-feet long and can weigh 80 to 140 pounds, zoo officials said. They like to socialize, living in groups of about 20, and sometimes as many as 100. Capybaras communicate with each other using grunts, barks, whines, twitters and other sounds.
