Top 10 largest rodents in the world

The most numerous group of mammals are rodents. A total of 2 species have been described. They can be found almost everywhere, anywhere on our planet, with the exception of Antarctica and some islands.

Usually all rodents are small in size, from 5 to 130 cm, but on average do not exceed 50 cm. Many of them have a particularly long tail, which is much larger than their body size, but some have it completely absent, such as marine pigs.

The smallest rodent is only 3 cm long (plus 2 cm tail), it weighs only 7 g. Some rodents are impressive in their size. So, the average weight of a capybara is 65 kg, and individual specimens weigh up to 91 kg.

The largest can be called rodents that have long been extinct. The remains of giant representatives of this group were found, the largest of which weighed from 1 to 1,5 tons, it is possible that it reached a size of 2,5 tons. Now you will not be able to meet such giants.

But still, the largest rodents in the world are striking in their size, despite the fact that our society has long had a stereotype that if it is a rodent, then it is a tiny animal that fits on the palm of your hand.

10 Indian giant squirrel

She is called and indian town hall. This is a tree squirrel that can be found in India. Prefers mixed or deciduous forests. These animals usually live in groups.

In each separate habitat they have their own color of fur, so you can easily determine where this or that animal was caught. Usually the color scheme consists of 2-3 colors, from beige to brown in different shades, there is also yellow. Between the ears Indian giant squirrels there is a white spot.

The length of the squirrel, if you count the head and body, is 36 cm (adult), but they also have a long tail that grows up to 61 cm. An adult squirrel weighs about 2 kg. They prefer to live in the upper tier of the forest. These are very cautious animals, they are active in the early morning and late afternoon.

9. Soviet chinchilla

Despite the name, we are not talking about a chinchilla at all, but about a breed of rabbits that are bred for fur. It was bred in the USSR. Our experts crossed American chinchillas with different breeds and were able to increase the live weight of the animal up to 5 kg.

In 1963, a new breed was approved soviet chinchilla. Its representatives are distinguished by thick fur, high-quality skin, large size, good endurance and early maturity.

Their body is 60-70 cm long, they are silver or dark silver, the belly and part of the paws are black, there is a border on the ears of the same color. An adult rabbit weighs from 3 to 5 kg, among them there are champions who gained up to 7-8 kg.

8. Nutria

Its other names are swamp beaver or coipu. “Nutria” is translated from Greek as “mousebeaver“. In appearance, it resembles a huge rat: the body grows up to 60 cm, the tail is 45 cm, it weighs from 5 to 12 kg. Males are usually larger than females.

She has a huge head with small ears and eyes, the muzzle is blunt in shape. The tail – without hair, is a kind of steering wheel that is used when swimming. The fur of this animal is waterproof, brown.

Nutria lives in South America, but she was able to acclimatize in many countries. Shows activity at night. Lives in groups of 2-13 individuals.

7. Baiback

Other name – marmot. It lives in the virgin steppes of Eurasia. English name “guinea pigs» comes from the Turkic wordbobak“, which also means “sorok”.

It is similar to other marmots, but stands out for its yellow coloration and short tail, which does not exceed 15 cm in length. The bobak also stands out for its size: its body length is from 50 to 70 cm, a male that has fattened up can weigh up to 10 kg.

Once it was a common animal that lived in the steppe zone from Hungary to the Irtysh. But due to the plowing of virgin lands, the amount of area occupied by it has significantly decreased, because. they cannot live in crops of vegetables and grains. Baibaks form perennial colonies, arrange many holes for themselves. They eat plant foods.

6. Punished

She is called differently false pack. Punished similar to a guinea pig, but it is a rather large rodent. The length of her body is from 73 to 79 cm, she weighs 10-15 kg.

This is a massive, heavy animal. The tail is about a third of the body in size. She has a wide head, on which rounded ears and unusually large eyes flaunt.

Pakarana is black or dark brown, there are white spots, the fur is coarse, sparse. You can meet her in the forests of the Amazon. These are slow animals. Not much is known about their lives.

5. Mara

They are also called Patagonian hares or Patagonian pigs. Mara can grow up to 69-75 cm, large individuals gain weight up to 9-16 kg. The length of their tail is only 4,5 cm.

The upper part of the body is grayish in color, and the lower part is whitish, there are white or yellow stripes on the sides. The fur of this rodent is thick.

You can meet mara in South America. They prefer to go out in search of food during the day, gather for joint feeding, and feed on plants.

4. Flanders

This is the name of one of the breeds of rabbits. It was bred in Belgium. Flanders – one of the most famous and common breeds, exactly how it was obtained is not known exactly.

These rabbits are bred in many countries, and in each of them the flanders have their own characteristics. Allocate German, English, Spanish, etc. representatives of this breed. In the USSR, they did not take root due to the harsh climate, but were used to breed “gray giant».

Flanders are striking in their size. They have a long body – up to 67 cm, high, thick and dense fur, color – gray or yellow-gray. Adult rabbits weigh 7 kg, some of them grow up to 10-12 kg, there are champions weighing 25 kg.

3. crested porcupine

He is often called porcupine. The thick and stocky body of the animal is covered with dark and white needles. They have 2 types. There are long and flexible, growing up to 40 cm, and there are short and hard ones, 15-30 cm each, but differing in considerable thickness.

У crested porcupine rounded muzzle, round eyes are located on it. He has short legs, he moves slowly, but he can also run. He gives his voice very rarely, only in moments of danger or irritation.

This is a very large rodent, growing up to 90 cm, plus a tail – 10-15 cm. The average weight is 8-12 kg, but some well-fed males weigh up to 27 kg.

2. Beaver

Semi-aquatic mammal with beautiful fur, consisting of coarse hair and very thick silky underfur. It is light chestnut or dark brown in color, tail and paws are black.

Beaver – one of the largest rodents, whose body length is from 1 to 1,3 m, and its weight is from 30 to 32 kg. Once it was distributed throughout Europe and Asia, but by the beginning of the twentieth century it was almost exterminated, but now it can be found almost everywhere. Beavers settle near rivers, lakes, ponds, live in their huts located under water or in burrows in steep and steep banks.

1. Capybara

It is also called capybara. This is a herbivore mammal, its name consists of 8 letters (capybara), is often asked in crosswords and scanwords. Its body length is 1-1,35 m, height is 50-60 cm. Males can weigh from 34 to 63 kg, females even more, from 36 to 65,5 kg. Outwardly, the capybara is somewhat similar to a guinea pig, it has an elongated body and a hard coat.

It can be seen in Central and South America. Lives near water, rarely moves away from it more than 1 thousand meters. They are active during the day, but can also switch to a nocturnal lifestyle.

They can swim and dive, feed on aquatic plants, grass and hay, and tubers. Capybaras are calm, friendly, often kept as pets.