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San Diego Zoo welcomes 4 capybara pups

Three of the four capybara pups born at the San Diego Zoo the week of July 23. They were born to second-time mother Rosalina and first-time father Bowie on Sunday.
Courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Three of the four capybara pups born at the San Diego Zoo the week of July 23. They were born to second-time mother Rosalina and first-time father Bowie on Sunday.

The San Diego Zoo welcomed four capybara pups this week, born to second-time mother Rosalina and first-time father Bowie on Sunday, it was announced Tuesday.

According to the zoo, capybaras are precocial — meaning they're more mature and mobile at birth — so, the four pups are already nursing and following mom.

Capybaras are the world's largest rodent and are related to guinea pigs, hamsters and mice.

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They are found in Central and South America, where they roam swampy, grassy regions bordering rivers, ponds, streams and lakes. The capybara is not currently classified as an endangered species, although it is threatened by deforestation, habitat destruction and poaching.

The capybara young are at the San Diego Zoo's Elephant Odyssey, alongside the Baird's tapir.