The capybara is a species that is bred for its meat in Brazil due to its el
evated reproductive potential and because, being a herbivore, it does not c
ompete directly with humans. Controversies exist regarding cecotrophy behav
ior in this animal. Cecotrophy is observed in lagomorphs and certain rodent
s and consists of the ingestion of a specific type of excrement produced in
the cecum. Six adult capybaras were placed in individual pens and observed
for 96 serial hours. During this period a behavioral pattern that we belie
ve consisted of cecotrophy was observed 243 times. Animals sat on their hin
d limbs, stretched either limb out, bent over driving their heads in the di
rection of the anus and licked a pasty material that differed from normal o
val-shaped feces. This behavior was observed between 10 h:48 min and 11 h:4
4 min after ingestion of food. When food was supplied at 5:00 p.m., 73% of
the cecotrophy acts occurred between 6:00 and 12:00 a.m. while 27% between
midnight and 6:00 a.m. The observation of cecotrophy behavior in capybaras
is important because it suggests that maintenance expenses with protein sup
plements for this specie in captivity can be reduced. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sci
ence B.V. All rights reserved.