Spotted Paca
Cuniculus paca
The Paca has enlarged, hollow zygomatic arches in its skull that act as resonance chambers, amplifying its vocalizations and tooth-grinding into loud, intimidating sounds.
- Scientific name
- Cuniculus paca
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Rodentia › Cuniculidae › Cuniculus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Tropical rainforests, gallery forests, and mangroves, almost always located near a permanent water source.
- Diet
- Herbivorous, specializing in fallen fruits, seeds, nuts, and occasionally tubers or leaves.
- Range
- Mexico, Central America, South America, Northern Argentina
- Size
- 60-80 cm in length; 6-12 kg in weight
- Lifespan
- 12-15 years
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Intensive hunting for bushmeat and habitat fragmentation caused by deforestation.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Pacas are excellent swimmers and will likely flee toward water or burrows if startled. Maintain a respectful distance of 10 meters. If bitten while handling, wash the wound thoroughly and seek medical attention to prevent infection.
The lowland paca ( Cuniculus paca ), also known as the spotted paca , is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from East-Central Mexico to Northern Argentina. Introduced to Cuba, Bahamas, Trinidad, Jamaica and Hispaniola.
Photo: Dick Culbert, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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