The Future Capybara

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a semi-aquatic mammal that is known for its docile nature. Its body is built for life in the water, as they have webbed feet, their nostrils are high on the head, and they can hold their breath for up to five minutes. Its habitat is the rainforest, which is good, because there’s lots of water. However, in the future, the rainforest may become a savanna, with very little water. To cope with this, the capybara will change in many ways. One adaptation is losing their webbing, and gaining longer claws. This would let them create burrows, and become burrowing animals. Another could be to get lighter brown fur to blend in with their new, brown savanna environment. This helps them escape predators. Back to the burrowing, they grow smaller so predators can't fit in their burrows. These are some ways the capybara could change.