Are There Capybaras in Costa Rica? The Short Answer Is No

Plenty of travel sites, including an earlier version of this article, will tell you where to spot capybaras in Costa Rica. You won’t find any. The largest rodent on Earth doesn’t live wild here.

There are no wild capybaras in Costa Rica. Capybaras are native to South America, and Costa Rica’s National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) says the nearest country where the species lives is Panama. The only capybaras recorded in Costa Rica are trafficked animals: in May 2025, police seized five young capybaras from a car in Orotina, the first capybara seizure in the country’s history. Owning, transporting or selling one in Costa Rica is illegal.

This article explains why there are none, what happened to the ones that were smuggled in, and which native Costa Rican rodents you can see instead.

The short answer

Are There Capybaras in Costa Rica?

No. Capybaras live in wetlands, grasslands and riverbanks across much of South America, from the llanos of Colombia and Venezuela to the Pantanal in Brazil, and their range reaches north into Panama. It stops there. Costa Rica’s wetlands at Caño Negro, Palo Verde and Tortuguero have caimans, crocodiles, herons and plenty of other wildlife, but no capybaras.

That matters if you are planning a trip around seeing one. No tour, park or guide in Costa Rica can show you a wild capybara, and any tour that promises one is not telling you the truth.

Trafficking

The Capybaras Seized in Costa Rica

The capybaras that have turned up in Costa Rica came through the illegal wildlife trade. In May 2025, police stopped a car at a checkpoint on Route 34 near Orotina and found five juvenile capybaras, along with drugs and weapons. The Public Security Ministry called it the first capybara seizure in Costa Rica. SINAC said the animals may have come from Panama.

The animals went to a wildlife rescue center for veterinary care and quarantine. Veterinarians said they cannot be released into Costa Rican ecosystems: capybaras are a potentially invasive species, and a breeding population could upset the balance of local habitats.

What you’ll see instead

Costa Rica’s Native Rodents

Costa Rica does have large rodents, and they are distant relatives of the capybara. Two are worth knowing.

Central American agouti (guatusa)

The agouti is the one you are most likely to see: a long-legged, rabbit-sized rodent with coarse brown fur that trots across forest trails in daylight. Agoutis are common in national parks such as Manuel Antonio and Corcovado, often near picnic areas and fruiting trees. Costa Ricans call it a guatusa.

Lowland paca (tepezcuintle)

The paca is bigger and stockier, with rows of white spots along its sides. It is mostly nocturnal and lives near water, so you are more likely to see one on a guided night walk than on a midday hike. Costa Ricans call it tepezcuintle. It was long hunted for its meat; sport hunting has been banned in Costa Rica since 2012, which our article on the hunting ban explains.

For the bigger picture, see our guide to Costa Rica’s wildlife, the month-by-month wildlife calendar and our list of iconic animals you can see in Costa Rica.

The animal itself

Capybara Facts

If you are curious about the animal you won’t see here: the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest living rodent on Earth. It is semi-aquatic, lives in social groups near water, grazes on grasses and water plants, and is a strong swimmer. Its closest living relatives are guinea pigs.

To see one in the wild, you would need to travel south: Panama, or better, the wetlands of Colombia, Venezuela or Brazil, where capybaras are easy to spot.

Good to know

Capybaras in Costa Rica FAQ