Department of Education, Taipei City Government

Mother capybara Api gave birth to her youngster on the evening of Feb. 27. As you go through the Tropical Rainforests Area, go visit and catch a glimpse of the adorable capybara family.
The newborn capybara cub weighs 2,400 kilograms. As a precocial animal, the young can come and go freely in less than an hour after birth. Zookeepers who see it exploring its surroundings along find it adorable. Since the external genitalia of the capybara is not obvious, it is impossible to judge the sex of the young at present.
Not only are capybaras very shy, but they are also forgetful. Zookeepers are thus not allowed to change their hairstyles too often or add any accessories. Besides, having a problem with facial recognition, they sometimes mistake zookeepers for strangers and exhibit paranoid behaviors toward them.
Though mother capybara, Api, tends to be timid and nervous, she had a strong maternal instinct and took good care of the cub. Today, the capybara cub, Che Che, made a public debut with its family. When you pass through the home of capybaras, please speak quietly so as not to disturb capybaras dozing off.