What practise you first think of when you hear the word "rodent"? Does your mind produce images of cute, cuddly little mice and hamsters? Or exercise you picture a sewer rat swimming through murky conditions and spreading disease?
Ane of these 2 scenarios is what most people imagine. And due to the latter, many people accept an extreme aversion to rodents in full general. Just these two situations aren't the only place that rodents be.
In fact, rodents are among some of the most versatile animals on the planet. Rodents actually brand up the largest single group of mammals in the animal kingdom. And believe it or not, virtually non-flying mammals are rodents—making upwards approximately 1/3 of all mammalian species! They're found natively on every continent in the world (except Antarctica) and come in all shapes and sizes.
But which rodents are the biggest? We'll explore some of the largest living rodents in the world today—along with a couple of their ancestors—then you can truly see the latitude of their being.
The Top ten Largest Rodents in the World
1. Capybara
| Scientific Name: | Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris |
| Where It'south Found: | The Capybara is a native to South America—peculiarly in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentine republic, and Peru. |
| Length: | This rodent tin can abound upward to 4.4 feet in length and tin reach upward to 24 inches tall. |
| Weight: | Capybara tin weigh anywhere between 77 to 146 pounds. |
The capybara is currently considered the largest living rodent in the world. This rodent is usually constitute in semi-aquatic areas and is an fantabulous swimmer. Their diet consists of grass, fruit, and other aquatic vegetation. And they've been known to exist a nuisance to indigenous peoples' gardens and farms.
In many South American countries, capybara meat is considered a delicacy. It's become a particularly popular exotic dish in Venezuela served during Easter celebrations.
2. Coypu (Nutria)
| Scientific Proper noun: | Myocastor coypus |
| Where Information technology'southward Found: | The coypu is a rodent that can exist found in countries with subtropical climates on the continents of North America, S America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. |
| Length: | Coypu can grow 2.3 to 3.5 anxiety. |
| Weight: | It tin can weigh up to 37 pounds. |
The coypu is a semi-aquatic, herbivorous, burrow-domicile rodent. It is idea to be native to Due south America, however, it can likewise be institute in North America, Asia, and Europe. They are believed to take spread throughout the earth by stowing themselves away in exploration ships.
They resemble behemothic rats and tin infest rural farm areas. Dorsum in the 1940s, the coypu became a major nuisance to farm owners in England and the The states—particularly in Maryland and Louisiana. Past the 1960s, legislation was created to eradicate the destructive coypu rodents.
However, coypu rodents are now being put to good use. Nutria fur is used by many fashion designers including major houses such as Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors. Nutria meat can also be institute labeled every bit ragondin in many domestic dog treats and kibble as a source of lean protein.
three. Muskrat
| Scientific Proper name: | Ondatra zibethicus |
| Where Information technology's Establish: | The muskrat tin can be plant in North America, S America, Asia, and Europe. |
| Length: | A fully grown muskrat can abound one.three to 2.three feet in length. |
| Weight: | Information technology tin weigh effectually 1 to 4.4 pounds |
The muskrat is a semi-aquatic rodent that is considered "medium-sized", although it tin abound quite large in its adult life. These rodents offering a very of import contribution to their ecosystems, providing a stable source of food for natural predators such as minks, eagles, and otters. They're also a staple of fur and food for people.
The Native Americans take e'er considered muskrats an of import office of their life. Some groups believe that muskrats can predict the level of snowfall in the winter by looking at the rodent's size and timing of their lodge structure.
4. Patagonian mara
| Scientific Proper name: | Dolichotis patagonum |
| Where It's Institute: | Patagonian maras are mostly establish in Patagonia and Argentina. |
| Length: | A Patagonian mara grows near 2.3 to 2.five feet from its caput to its torso. Their tails grow to around iv-5 cm long. |
| Weight: | A fully grown Patagonian mara tin can counterbalance betwixt 18 to 35 pounds. |
The Patagonian mara is another very large type of rodent. It'due south besides known as the "Patagonian cavy", the "dillaby", and the "Patagonian hare" (mainly because it somewhat looks like a rabbit). They are herbivorous rodents and are mostly found in open up habitat regions of Patagonia and Argentina.
Patagonian maras are very interesting rodents considering of their unique social system. They have a monogamous and communal style of convenance. Monogamous pairs will stay together for life. Breeding pairs of Patagonian maras can be alone simply are more commonly found within warrens. Each warren can be shared by up to 30 pairs of Patagonian mara mates. In a single twelvemonth, wild female Patagonian maras produce but 1 litter. However, farmed maras can produce up to four litters.
Recently, Patagonian maras have been considered a threatened species. They have been affected by habitat alteration and hunting. A growing number of poachers hunt down and grab Patagonian mara for their skins as they are used to brand rugs and bedspreads. Due to this, they have been mostly eradicated in the province of Buenos Aires.
v. Cape Porcupine
| Scientific Name: | Hystrix africaeaustralis |
| Where It's Found: | Cape porcupines are establish in Africa—primarily in the countries of Republic of kenya, Congo, and Republic of uganda. |
| Length: | The body can grow from 2.1 to 2.7 feet, while its tail can grow effectually iv to 8 inches long. |
| Weight: | Male cape porcupines can weigh up to 37 pounds, and females upwards to 41 pounds. |
The Greatcoat porcupine is currently the largest living rodent species found in Africa. Not only that, only it is too the largest porcupine in the globe. They are establish in a broad range of habitats, from dry deserts to dense forests. In savannah terrains, these rodents are known to create chambers in grassy areas to make birthing dens.
The cape porcupine can abound its spines to effectually 20 inches long and utilize them as an immensely powerful defense mechanism. Fortunately for birthing mothers, when cape porcupines are born, their spikes are actually very soft and harden as they are exposed to air.
Greatcoat porcupines usually live approximately 15 years in the wild—which is unusually long for rodents. They usually feed on more often than not plant materials such equally roots, fruits, tubers, bark, and bulbs.
6. South African springhare
| Scientific Proper noun: | Pedetes capensis |
| Where It's Found: | This rodent is native to Due south Africa. |
| Length: | The Southward African springhare grows roughly 1.ane to ane.five feet. The tail can grow from 1.two to 1.5 feet long. |
| Weight: | An adult South African hare can counterbalance up to 6.6 pounds. |
The South African springhare is not a hare as its proper name implies, just is instead a large and peculiar rodent. It received its proper noun because of its ability to leap over 6 feet in just a single bound. Information technology even looks like a strange kangaroo-rodent hybrid.
South African springhares are known to be nocturnal but have been seen being active during the daytime. However, they unremarkably stay inside tunnels that they dig themselves when the sun is out. Yous'll find them building their tunnels during the rainy flavor when the soil is wet and piece of cake to dig. Only when night falls, these strange creatures will emerge from their tunneled homes on the chase for nutrient.
7. Bosavi Woolly Rats
| Scientific Name: | Yet to be published. |
| Where It's Institute: | The Bosavi woolly rat has recently been discovered in Papua New Guinea. |
| Length: | This rodent tin can grow up to 32 inches in length. |
| Weight: | Bosavi woolly rats can counterbalance to upwards 13 pounds. |
The Bosavi wooly rat is one of the well-nigh recently discovered rodent species. The first encounter was in 2009 when a team of researchers found the rat within the Bosavi Crater in Papua New Republic of guinea. This is too believed to have been the starting time encounter these rats have e'er had with humans.
When the offset Bosavi woolly rat was found, it measured 32 inches long, making it 1 of the largest existing rodents in the world. And it's currently the globe's largest living rat species.
More exploration and studies are now being done to find out more well-nigh this newly found rodent.
8. North American Beaver
| Scientific Proper name: | Castor canadensis |
| Where It's Constitute: | North American beavers are native to North America, but other similar species tin can likewise exist constitute in South America and Europe. |
| Length: | They can abound up to iii feet long. Their tail tin can grow upwardly to 14 inches long. |
| Weight: | This rodent can weigh around 24 to 71 pounds. |
The North American beaver has an impressive long torso which makes it 1 of the largest rodents in the world. And its long, flat tail also enables it to swim through the water with ease. This helps the Native American beaver navigate rivers and other bodies of water where information technology commonly spends most of its time.
Ane of the most impressive skills of the N American beaver is controlling its surround by edifice dams. Their sturdy front teeth work like chisels in carving logs which are later on used to block rivers. After creating these dams, these beavers so construct semi-flooded structures known every bit lodges in which they live and firm their immature.
9. Josephoartigasia
| Scientific Name: | Josephoartigasia monesi |
| Where It'due south Plant: | Uruguay |
| Length: | The Josephoartigasia reached roughly 10 anxiety long. |
| Weight: | It is believed that Josephoartigasia weighed more than 2,000 lbs. |
At present extinct, the Josephoartigasia is considered to be the largest rodent to ever be. Its fossils were found in Uruguay in 2007 when a skull was discovered. Researchers said that Josephoartigasia lived in a wet environs and fed on grasses and other crop vegetation.
This rodent is believed to have gone extinct after the Keen American Interchange when animals from the continents of North and South America became able to breed with one another in the Mid-Cenozoic Era during the Neogene Period. And there are only theories every bit to why their extinction happened.
Many researchers believe climatic change to be the major factor that caused their disappearance.
10. Behemothic Hutia
| Scientific Proper name: | Heptaxodontidae |
| Where It'due south Found: | Fossils of Giant Hutia accept been constitute in the West Indies. |
| Length: | Unknown |
| Weight: | Estimated to accept weighed betwixt 110 lbs and 440 lbs |
The behemothic hutia — officially named Ambyrhiza — was a native rodent of the West Indies. They are believed to accept lived more than than 100,000 years ago in the Caribbean. Based on their skull size, they are considered to be one of the largest rodents to always exist.
Fossils discovered of the giant hutia tin can be larger than the size of a fully grown human. Because of its extremely big size, it is believed that the giant hutia moved slowly and was gratuitous of predators. And co-ordinate to fossil records, there are no known competing mammals that lived during its existence.
There are smaller direct descendants of the behemothic hutia found on the Caribbean islands today, but they only weigh around 5 pounds.
Are There Other Giant Rodents?
Although at that place probably aren't whatever automobile-sized rodents left in the world today, that doesn't mean other giant rodents aren't out in that location lurking. Remember, the Bosavi wooly rat was just recently discovered.
We'll simply have to keep our eyes peeled for any other rodents of larger stature in the years to come up.
Featured Image Credit: Hippopx
