Jabuticaba Index®

Categorizing Brazilian singularities. From the capybara to the precatório.

← Overall ranking

Nature · #19 of 26

Capybara

The world's largest rodent, Brazil's unofficial national mascot and, statistically, less Brazilian than you would think.

Fictional dataMachine translation, not yet reviewed.

Jabuticaba Index®

67%

Plausibility range: 64–70%

67%, plausibility range 64% to 70%0255075100
A

Evidence grade. Computed from source types: from A (official and academic data) to D (editorial judgment). It does not change the index.

01What exactly is being measured

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris in established wild populations.

02Context

The capybara is found in practically all of South America [1], including neighboring countries such as Bolivia and France.

There are unconfirmed reports of escaped specimens in Florida [2].

Compare with the caramel mutt.

03Where else it exists

Projection
Argentina: RegionalBolivia: WidespreadBrazilColombia: WidespreadFrench Guiana: WidespreadParaguay: WidespreadUnited States: Absent (checked) – MarginalVenezuela: Widespread
Argentina: RegionalBolivia: WidespreadBrazilColombia: WidespreadFrench Guiana: WidespreadParaguay: WidespreadUnited States: Absent (checked) – MarginalVenezuela: Widespread
  • Local presence(Marginal → Widespread)
  • Exported from Brazil(Marginal → Widespread)
  • Brazil
  • Absent (checked)
  • No data

Equal Earth projection. Places with uncertain presence take the color of the highest possible level; the table shows the full range.

Place (7)
PlacePresenceWeightSources
BoliviaWidespread1[1]
ColombiaWidespread1[1]
France (French Guiana)Widespread1[1]
ParaguayWidespread1[1]
VenezuelaWidespread1[1]
ArgentinaRegional0.5[1]
United States

Scattered reports of animals escaped from captivity.

Absent (checked) – Marginal0–0.1[2]
Presence abroad5.5–5.6

04How we got this number

Presence abroad

Sum of each place's weight: widespread = 1, regional = 0.5, marginal = 0.1. Where it only exists as a Brazilian export, the weight is multiplied by 0.5.

5.55 (5.5–5.6)
Exclusivity E

From 0 (exists everywhere) to 1 (only in Brazil), on a log scale.

0.59
Intensity I

How much more common it is in Brazil than in the other places where it exists.

More common in Brazil, but abundant throughout the Orinoco basin. [1]

1–2 of 4
Rarity coefficient R

R = E + 0.5 × (I ÷ 4) × (1 − E)

R = 0.59 + 0.5 × (1.5 ÷ 4) × (1 − 0.59) = 0.67

0.67
Jabuticaba Index®
67% (64–70%)

Not part of the score

Awareness

How aware Brazilians are that this is rare abroad.

Treated as a national symbol. editorial judgment

4 of 4

05Sources

  1. [1]

    Censo Imaginário de Roedores Sul-Americanos

    Instituto de Pesquisas Imaginárias · 2024 · Academic · in Portuguese

    example.org/rodent-survey · accessed Sep 25, 2026

  2. [2]

    Capybara Seen Near Retention Pond, Allegedly

    The Example Gazette · News

    example.org/escape-report · accessed Sep 25, 2026

Last reviewed Sep 25, 2026 · Methodology v0.2