Paca
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2014) |
Paca[1] | |
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Lowland paca | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Infraorder: | Hystricognathi |
Parvorder: | Caviomorpha |
Superfamily: | Cavioidea
|
Family: | Cuniculidae Miller & Gidley, 1918[3] |
Genus: | Cuniculus Brisson, 1762[2] |
Type species | |
Mus paca | |
Species | |
| |
Synonyms | |
For Cuniculidae:
For Cuniculus:
|
A paca (from
Evolutionary background
Pacas originated in South America and are one of the few mammal species that successfully emigrated to North America after the
Description
Pacas are 50–77 cm (20–30 in) in length, excluding the 13–23 cm (5.1–9.1 in) short tail, weigh 6–14 kg (13–31 lb), and are the sixth-largest rodents in the world. Similar to guinea pigs, they have square heads, small ears, sides patterned with spots and stripes, and virtually invisible tails.[8]
With large hind limbs, small fore limbs, and cone-shaped bodies, pacas are similar in appearance to the deer-like, ungulate chevrotains, and like them have four to seven horizontal lines of blotches and stripes along their flanks. They have a heavy and robust appearance, though their legs are long and relatively tiny. Their small ears are set high on their heads. They have four toes on their fore feet and five on their hind feet (of which two are short and hardly touch the ground) and they have stout nails that resemble small hooves. In young pacas, the skin is covered with horny scales about 2 mm (0.079 in) in diameter; perhaps these scales have a protective function against smaller predators. There is virtually no difference between sexes. They can live up to 13 years in the wild.[8]
Behavior
Pacas inhabit rainforests, cloud forests, and sometimes more open habitats. They are great swimmers and prefer to be near water. They dive when threatened and can stay submerged up to 15 minutes. They can also jump up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and freeze for up to 45 minutes. They normally move along well-established paths and will create new paths when old ones are disturbed.[8]
They are normally passive in daytime and forage in the morning and afternoon, but can be strictly nocturnal in areas with many predators. They live in burrows up to 3 m (9.8 ft) deep, normally with two entrances covered with leaves to hide the burrow and to serve as an early warning system. Burrows are often near water, but always above the seasonal flood line. Predators except humans include jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, jaguarundi, bush dog, boa constrictor, and caiman.[8]
Pacas have resonating chambers in their cheeks and their growling noise, at about 1 kHz, is surprisingly loud for their size. Aside from making noises, territories are marked with urine. Population density can reach up to 70 adults per 0.2 km2 (0.077 sq mi), and pacas often constitute some 20% of the biomass of terrestrial mammals[dubious ].[8]
Feeding
In the wild, pacas eat fruits from
Reproduction
Gestation lasts between 114 and 119 days with about 190 days between births. Pacas are
Sexual maturity is reached after 6–12 months, when females weigh about 6.5 kg (14 lb) and males 7.5 kg (17 lb). Pacas usually mate in water. As the male approaches the female, she starts to hop enthusiastically, more so if he sprays her with urine. Pacas have altered the common rodent strategy — safety in numbers — and mind their offspring carefully. At 650–710 g (23–25 oz) at birth, the young are born in holes too small for both predators and the mother to enter, which are then covered with leaves and twigs. To invite the young out of the hole, the mother uses a low rolling vocalization. Suckling usually lasts for 90 days, after which the young weighs 4 kg (8.8 lb).[8]
Distribution and habitat
The lowland paca is found from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. They primarily live in rainforests near streams, but can also be found in a wide variety of habitats, including mangrove swamps, gallery forests near water currents, and even in public parks. They have been observed up to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level.[9]
The smaller mountain paca lives in the northern Andes and the Páramo grasslands, with a peak occurrence between 2,000 and 3,000 m (6,600 and 9,800 ft) above sea level.[9]
Species
The mountain paca has longer and darker fur than the lowland paca. Observations indicate mountain pacas are found between 1,500 and 2,800 m (4,900 and 9,200 ft) above sea level.[10]
- Agouti paca)
- Mountain paca, Cuniculus taczanowskii
Potential use by humans
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama has studied the possibilities of developing the paca as a food supply for people in the tropics.[13]
References
- ^ Woods & Kilpatrick 2005
- ^ Brisson 1762
- ^ Miller & Gidley 1918
- ^ JSTOR 1374677.
- ^ Cuniculidae in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved March 2013.
- ^ Zimmern, Andrew (January 29, 2014). "Bizarre Bites: Rat". andrewzimmern.com.
- ^ Zimmern, Andrew. "Bizarre Foods: Feasting On A 'Royal Rat'". Travel Channel. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Grzimek 2003, pp. 417–21
- ^ a b Grzimek 2003, pp. 423–4
- ^ Ríos-Uzeda, Wallace & Vargas 2004
- ^ Castro, López & Becerra 2010
- S2CID 128367062.
Sources
- Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1762). Regnum Animale in classes IX distributum, sive synopsis methodica. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- Castro, José J; López, Juan Bautista; Becerra, Francisco (2010). "Una nueva especie de Cuniculus (Rodentia: Cuniculidae) de la Cordillera Central de Colombia". Rev. Asoc. Col. Cienc.(Col.). 22: 122–131. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ISBN 0-7876-5362-4.
- .
- Ríos-Uzeda, Boris; Wallace, Robert B; Vargas, Julieta (2004). "La Jayupa de la altura (Cuniculus taczanowskii, Rodentia, Cuniculidae), un nuevo registro de mamífero para la fauna de Bolivia". Mastozoología Neotropical. 11 (1). ISSN 1666-0536. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- Woods, C. A.; Kilpatrick, C. W. (2005). "Infraorder Hystricognathi". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 1538–1600. OCLC 62265494. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
External links
- Gibnuts at Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary