Morphometric Patterns and Blood Biochemistry of Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from Human-Modified Landscapes and Natural Landscapes in Brazil.

Hermes Luz,Daniel Lima,Marcelo Labruna,Vinicius Gonçalves,Hector Benatti,Daniel Aguiar,Katia Ferraz,Francisco Costa,Ubiratan Piovezan,Vanessa Ramos,Richard Pacheco,Matias Szabó

doi:10.3390/vetsci8080165

Abstract

The capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, is the largest extant rodent of the world. To better understand the correlation between size and body mass, and biochemical parameters of capybaras from areas with different degrees of anthropization (i.e., different food supplies), we sampled free-ranging capybaras from areas of natural landscapes (NLs) and human-modified landscapes (HMLs) in Brazil. Analyses of biometrical and biochemical parameters of capybaras showed that animals from HMLs were heavier (higher body mass) than those from NL, a condition possibly related to fat deposit rather than body length, as indicated by Body Condition Index (BCI) analyses. Biochemical parameters indicated higher serum levels of albumin, creatine kinase, cholesterol, fructosamine and total protein among capybaras from HMLs than from NLs; however, when all adult capybaras were analyzed together only cholesterol and triglycerides were positively correlated with body mass. We propose that the biochemical profile differences between HMLs and NLs are related to the obesity condition of capybaras among HMLs. Considering that heavier animals might live longer and reproduce more often, our results could have important implications in the population dynamics of capybaras among HMLs, where this rodent species is frequently represented by overgrowth populations that generate several levels of conflicts with human beings.

Highlights

The capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, is a mammal belonging to the order Rodentia, family Caviidae
Biochemical parameters indicated significant differences between animals from human-modified landscapes (HMLs) and natural landscapes (NLs) for albumin, creatine kinase (CK), cholesterol, fructosamine and total protein; when all adult capybaras were analyzed together only cholesterol and triglycerides were positively correlated with body mass, and albumin negatively correlated with body mass
This study demonstrated that there were significant differences for some biometrical and biochemical parameters of capybaras between HMLs and NLs

Summary

Introduction

The capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, is a mammal belonging to the order Rodentia, family Caviidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in all countries except for. In Brazil, capybaras are widely distributed all over the country, except for its very scarce presence in the semiarid biome, the Caatinga [2,3]. Semiaquatic animals, considered the largest extant rodent in the world, with adults reaching on average between 50 kg and 60 kg and at most 1.35 m in length [3]. Capybaras live in social groups always with more females than males because when male capybaras reach sexual maturity they are expelled from the group by the dominant adult male [3]. The groups live close to water collections—rivers, lakes, flooded regions—

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Discussion

Conclusion