Online, capybaras have long enjoyed a reputation as the friendliest animals, capable of peacefully coexisting even with dangerous predators. However, behind the touching photos of these rodents resting side by side with caimans lie not warm feelings but pragmatic reasons, according to infohub.kz.
Researchers analyzed the stomach contents of 196 Yacare caimans in Brazil's Pantanal region. They found that fish and insects form the bulk of their diet. Catching fish is far easier for the reptiles than attacking a large, powerful mammal.
Elizabeth Congdon, an associate professor at Bethune-Cookman University, explains that adult capybaras have a robust build and long, sharp incisors. Attempting to attack such prey could result in serious injury for a caiman, so the predators prefer not to take the risk.
However, this rule does not apply to the young. Small capybaras easily fall prey to caimans, as well as to anacondas, birds of prey, foxes, and ocelots.
Moreover, resting peacefully on the shore does not make the area safe. In the Pantanal, both capybaras and caimans are themselves hunted by jaguars. An analysis of the diet of 10 jaguars fitted with GPS collars showed that caimans make up nearly a quarter of their prey, while capybaras account for about 2%. When threatened, capybaras escape into the water, where they can stay submerged for up to five minutes, or gather into a defensive group, hiding their young in the center.