On October 25th, Saigon Zoo announced that three capybaras had recently given birth. Immediately after their birth, the three baby capybaras were named Anh, Yêu, and Em. These are the offspring of a capybara named Cát, who was brought to the zoo at the end of 2024.
The capybara at the zoo just gave birth to triplets.
PHOTO: PHUONG LINH
The pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare process of the world's largest rodent also holds many fascinating aspects.
Capybara gave birth to triplets in the early morning.
According to a representative from Saigon Zoo, early on the morning of October 19th, zookeepers discovered that a capybara had given birth to three pups. After reviewing CCTV footage, the zoo determined that the mother capybara gave birth to the first pup at 3:10 AM that same day.
Previously, staff had monitored and noticed signs of pregnancy in the mother capybara, such as a growing belly and a heavier-than-normal gait. In particular, about 7 days before giving birth, the mother capybara's breasts increased noticeably in size, and her belly also sagged more.
Capybaras have an average gestation period of 150 days, or about 5 months. This makes them the rodents with the longest gestation period. Each litter can consist of 2 to 8 offspring, typically only one litter per year. Throughout their lifetime, a female capybara can have an average of 5 to 7 litters.