The capybara, also known as capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, and capivara
in Portuguese, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea
pigs. Its common name, derived from Kapiÿva in the Guarani language, means "master of the grasses" while its scientific name,
hydrochaeris, is Greek for "water hog".
The guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), also commonly called the Cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and
the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. They originated in the
Andes, and studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggest they are domesticated descendants of a closely related
species of cavy such as Cavia aperea, C. fulgida, or C. tschudii, and therefore do not exist naturally in the wild.
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend them from predators. They are endemic in both the
Old World and the New World. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines
are about 25–36 in (64–91 cm) long, with an 8–10 in (20–25 cm) long tail. Weighing between 12–35 lb (5.4–16 kg), they are
rounded, large and slow. Porcupines come in various shades of brown, grey, and the unusual white.
The spiny rats are a group of hystricognath rodents in the family Echimyidae. They are distributed from central Central America
through much of South America. They were also found in the West Indies until the 1800s. Some authorities consider the nutria
from southern and central South America to be a part of this family.
The tuco-tucos are members of a group of rodents that belong to the family Ctenomyidae. The tuco-tucos belong to a single
genus: Ctenomys, but they include some 50 different species. The relationships among the species are debated by taxonomists.
Their closest relatives are degus and other octodontids (Woods and Kilpatrick, 2005). All species of tuco-tuco are found in
South America.
The coypu, or nutria (Myocastor coypus), is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent and the only member of the family Myocastoridae.
Originally native to temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily
by fur ranchers. Although it is still valued for its fur in some regions, its destructive feeding and burrowing behaviors
make this invasive species a pest throughout most of its range.
