NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Lesser Capybara
Hydrochoerus isthmius Goldman, 1912
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
A lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius) in Panama. A cropped version of this image: ( https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hydrochoerus_isthmius_406706519.jpg ), taken by photographer Anthony Batista ( https://www.inaturalist.org/users/4376205 ) and originally published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en )
Mhazandaren · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius) is a large semi-aquatic rodent found in South America that has vast similarities with, yet subtle differences from, the slightly larger common capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), the largest species of rodent in the world.
Wikipedia contributors, Lesser capybara; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:29:40.548344+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hydrochoerus isthmius Goldman, 1912
- Name authority
- Goldman, 1912
- Common name
- Lesser Capybara
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Caviidae
- Genus
- Hydrochoerus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderHystricomorpha Brandt, 1855
- infraorderHystricognathi Brandt, 1855
- familyCaviidae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
- subfamilyHydrochoerinae Gray, 1825
- genusHydrochoerus Brisson, 1762
- speciesHydrochoerus isthmius Goldman, 1912
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hydrochoerus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| CapybaraHydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766) | CaviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=825304 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3N64F. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.