Digestion in the capybara (Hydrochoerus huydrochaeris)

A study was undertaken to examine the digestion and fermentation in the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) fed either forage or a predominantly concentrate diet. The large volume of digesta (3,66 and 2,73 kg), pH (6,6 and 6,3), NH₃ - N (78 and 146 mg N/L) and VFA (44 and 41 mM) in the caecum of animals fed forage and high concentrate, respectively, indicate an active hindgut fermentation. This is in accord with previous observations that capybara and sheep have the same ability to digest forage diets.