# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/d58f7f29-ae65-42b1-aa6f-223e4e59f20e
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/74257
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuniculus paca
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/9318335/medium.jpg (Dick Culbert, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.