Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: What is the largest species of rodent?
The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a mammal native to South America. It is the largest living rodent in the world. Also called chigüire, chigüiro (in Colombia and Venezuela) and carpincho, it is a member of the genus Hydrochoerus, of which the only other extant member is the lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius). Its close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the coypu. The capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually lives in groups of 10–20 individuals. The capybara is not a threatened species but it is hunted for its meat and hide and also for grease from its thick fatty skin, which is used in the pharmaceutical trade.[2]
This is a list of largest rodents.
The California mouse ("Peromyscus californicus") is a species of rodent in the subfamily Neotominae in the family Cricetidae. It is the only species in the "Peromyscus californicus" species group. It is found in northwestern Mexico and central to southern California. It is the largest "Peromyscus" species in the United States.
Cuba, the largest of the Antilles, and its surrounding islands, of which the Isla de la Juventud is the most significant, harbor a diverse hutia fauna, including many species with very limited distributions. Various other hutias and an endemic genus of heteropsomyine became extinct during the Quaternary and the oldest known hutia, "Zazamys", has been found in Miocene Cuban deposits.The rodent fauna of Jamaica is relatively poor at the species level, including only five indigenous species, but diverse at higher taxonomic levels, including the only oryzomyine of the Greater Antilles and several distantly related hystricognaths.
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be keep short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Though they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout-bodied burrowers.The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals in the world naturally capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition. 
Initially it was intended to publish only one volume on lagomorphs and rodents. But due to the large number of described rodents Lynx Edicions organized a survey from summer to autumn 2015 in which a majority of customers decided in favor of two volumes. The sixth volume is devoted to the lagomorphs and 25 families of rodents, including the hares, pikas, chinchillas, the Laotian rock rat (a living fossil), the capybara (the largest extant rodent), and the diverse group of squirrels. The 60 colour plates are created by Toni Llobet. It covers the details to the taxonomy, range, habitat, reproduction, behaviour, and conservation status of 798 species from 27 families in two orders. It includes a special chapter on the overview of rodents, on morphology, taxonomy, and evolutionary history; why rodents are studied; and tools for studying them. Edited by Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher Jr, and Russell A. Mittermeier.
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara, a rodent native to South America, can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be keep short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).
The Barn Owl feeds primarily on small vertebrates, particularly rodents. Studies have shown that an individual Barn Owl may eat one or more rodents per night; a nesting pair and their young can eat more than 1,000 rodents per year and have been referred to as 'nature's mousetraps'. Locally superabundant rodent species in the weight class of several grams per individual usually make up the single largest proportion of prey. Barn Owls consume more rodents than possibly any other creature. This makes the Barn Owl one of the most economically valuable wildlife animals to farmers, millers, etc. Farmers and others found these owls effective in keeping down rodent pests, and they encouraged Barn Owl habitation by providing nest sites. In the few months between hatching and fledging a clutch of six owlets can consume up to of rodents.
In terms of number of species—although not necessarily in terms of number of organisms (population) or biomass—rodents make up the largest order of mammals. There are about 2,277 species of rodents (Wilson and Reeder, 2005), with over 40 percent of mammalian species belonging to the order.
Eurasian beavers are one of the largest living species of rodents and are the largest rodent native to Eurasia. They weigh around . In Norway, adult males average while females average , while another study found adults from the same country to average . By the average weights known, the Eurasian beaver appears to be the world's second heaviest rodent behind the capybara, but averaging slightly larger and heavier than the North American beaver. While the largest specimen confirmed on record weighed , the Smithsonian has reported that this species can exceptionally exceed . Typically, the head-and-body length is and the tail length is .
The Panay cloudrunner ("Crateromys heaneyi") is the second-largest cloud rat, a squirrel-like rodent that is found on the island of Panay in the Philippines. It is the most endangered rodent species in Panay, and one of the only few known cloud rat species in the world.
While the largest species, the capybara, can weigh as much as , most rodents weigh less than . The smallest rodent is the Baluchistan pygmy jerboa, which averages only in head and body length, with adult females weighing only . Rodents have wide-ranging morphologies, but typically have squat bodies and short limbs. The fore limbs usually have five digits, including an opposable thumb, while the hind limbs have three to five digits. The elbow gives the forearms great flexibility. The majority of species are plantigrade, walking on both the palms and soles of their feet, and have claw-like nails. The nails of burrowing species tend to be long and strong, while arboreal rodents have shorter, sharper nails. Rodent species use a wide variety of methods of locomotion including quadrupedal walking, running, burrowing, climbing, bipedal hopping (kangaroo rats and hopping mice), swimming and even gliding.
Scaly-tailed squirrels and flying squirrels, although not closely related, can both glide from tree to tree using parachute-like membranes that stretch from the fore to the hind limbs. The agouti is fleet-footed and antelope-like, being digitigrade and having hoof-like nails. The majority of rodents have tails, which can be of many shapes and sizes. Some tails are prehensile, as in the Eurasian harvest mouse, and the fur on the tails can vary from bushy to completely bald. The tail is sometimes used for communication, as when beavers slap their tails on the water surface or house mice rattle their tails to indicate alarm. Some species have vestigial tails or no tails at all. In some species, the tail is capable of regeneration if a part is broken off.
Rodents generally have well-developed senses of smell, hearing, and vision. Nocturnal species often have enlarged eyes and some are sensitive to ultraviolet light. Many species have long, sensitive whiskers or vibrissae for touch or "whisking". Some rodents have cheek pouches, which may be lined with fur. These can be turned inside out for cleaning. In many species, the tongue cannot reach past the incisors. Rodents have efficient digestive systems, absorbing nearly 80% of ingested energy. When eating cellulose, the food is softened in the stomach and passed to the cecum, where bacteria reduce it to its carbohydrate elements. The rodent then practices coprophagy, eating its own fecal pellets, so the nutrients can be absorbed by the gut. Rodents therefore often produce a hard and dry fecal pellet. In many species, the penis contains a bone, the baculum; the testes can be located either abdominally or at the groin.
Another paper which examined primate, rodent, lemur, bird and reptile species suggests that the genus originated between and . The split between the reptile/bird and mammalian species occurred between and . The first division in the mammalian species was between "Laverinia" and the others species. The separation of "P. falciparum" and "P. reichenowi" was estimated to be between and . The bonobo strains of "P. falciparum" of were the closest relations to those of humans. This analysis grouped "P. ovale" with the lemur species and this clade as a sister clade to the rodent species. While this is consistent with the current placement of the lemur species with the rodent species in the subgenus "Vinckeia", it is inconsistent with the current placement of "P. ovale" in the subgenus "Plasmodium". The date of separation of "P. ovale" from the lemur species was estimated to be and and their date of divergence from the rodent species was dated to between and . The rodent species first diverged between and . "P. atherui" appears to be more closely related to the "P. berghei"/"P. yoelli" clade than to "P. chabaudi". "P. malariae" evolved between and and is more closely related to "P. vivax" than to "P. ovale". "P vivax" and "P. cynomogli" last shared an ancestor between and . The origin of the Asian clade was placed between and .
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be keep short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).
Curaçao is the largest of the ABC islands and it has received the most mammalogical attention. Its known rodent fauna includes several species, some with restricted distributions.
Phoberomys pattersoni is an extinct rodent that lived in the ancient Orinoco River delta around 8 million years ago. It was the second-largest of the roughly seven species of its genus. Like many other rodents, "Phoberomys" was a herbivore with high-crowned premolars and molars. 
Caviidae, the cavy family, is composed of rodents native to South America and includes the domestic guinea pig, wild cavies, and the largest living rodent, the capybara. They are found across South America in open areas from moist savanna to thorn forests or scrub desert. This family of rodents has fewer members than most other rodent families, with 19 species in 6 genera in 3 subfamilies.
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be keep short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Though they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout-bodied burrowers.The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals in the world naturally capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.
Josephoartigasia monesi, an extinct species of South American caviomorph rodent, is the largest rodent known, and lived from about 4 to 2 million years ago during the Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The species is one of two in the genus "Josephoartigasia", the other being "J. magna". "J. monesi" is sometimes called the giant pacarana, after its closest living relative, the pacarana ("Dinomys branickii") in the family Dinomyidae. The species may have weighed a ton, considerably larger than any living rodent.
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40% of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be keep short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).
Neochoerus pinckneyi was a North American species of capybara. While capybaras originated in South America, formation of the Isthmus of Panama three million years ago allowed some of them to migrate north as part of the Great American Interchange. Capybaras and porcupines are the only caviomorph rodents that reached temperate North America during this exchange (a much greater diversity of North American rodents invaded South America). At 90 to 113 kg (200 to 250 pounds), 40% larger than the living capybara, "N. pinckneyi" is one of the largest rodent species ever discovered, surpassed only by the recently discovered "Josephoartigasia monesi", several species of "Phoberomys", and possibly the Pleistocene giant beaver. Remains have been found in southern North America, from Arizona to Florida to South Carolina, and throughout Central America.
Hypogeomys is a genus of rodents in the family Nesomyidae, found in Madagascar. There is one extant species, the Malagasy giant rat ("Hypogeomys antimena"), currently an endangered species with a restricted range. There is also another species known from subfossils from a few thousand years ago, "Hypogeomys australis". "H. antinema" measures , making it the largest rodent in Madagascar, while "H. australis" seems to have been slightly larger.
Phoberomys insolita is an extinct species of rodent that was known as the largest rodent on earth, before the discovery of "Josephoartigasia monesi". Fossil specimens from the Late Miocene period have been discovered in the Ituzaingó Formation of Argentina.
Josephoartigasia is an extinct genus of giant rodent from the Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene, related to the living pacarana. The genus includes the largest known rodent, "Josephoartigasia monesi". The two species would have resembled gigantic pacarana, or capybaras the size of cows, with an estimated weight of .