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Associations

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Mountain pacas avoid predation by being nocturnal and cryptically colored. Their brown, spotted pelage allows them to blend in with the forest undergrowth. They are also good swimmers and usually escape to the water or their den when being chased by a predator.

Known Predators:

  • humans (Homo sapiens)
  • jaguars (Panthera onca)
  • large snakes (Serpentes)

Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic

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bibliographic citation
Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
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Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Morphology

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Mountain pacas are large rodents, resembling large guinea pigs with an average weight of 9 kg and a length of 70 cm. Females are slightly smaller than males. They have short legs and rotund bodies with large heads and eyes. The skull is easily recognized, with an exceptionally large zygomatic arch. Pelage is red-brown to chocolate brown with two to seven white spots on the flanks; the young are born with this pelage as well. Mountain pacas have similar pelage to their close relative, Cuniculus paca, but with a denser undercoat to withstand the colder temperatures in the mountains.

Range mass: 6 to 12 kg.

Range length: 60 to 82 cm.

Average length: 70 cm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

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Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
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Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
editor
Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Behavior

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Mountain pacas are not highly social animals and few vocalizations are known. They sometimes bark and grind their teeth. Like most mammals, they probably use chemical cues in communication.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic ; chemical

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

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Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
author
Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
editor
Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Conservation Status

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Mountain pacas are listed as "low risk" by the IUCN. In some areas they are rare because of hunting pressures, in other areas populations are high, up to 90 per square km. Reserves protect mountain pacas from hunting in some areas.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: appendix iii

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened

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bibliographic citation
Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
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Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Benefits

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Mountain pacas cause few problems for humans. They have been known to cause some crop damage to fruit and nut crops in some areas.

Negative Impacts: crop pest

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Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
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Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Benefits

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Mountain pacas are hunted extensively for food. Hunts occur at night with spotlights and with dogs by day. The meat is veal-like and fetches high market prices. Paca farms have been suggested as a sustainable and economically viable business.

Positive Impacts: food

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Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
author
Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Associations

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Mountain pacas are important seed dispersers in their forested habitats. They prey mainly on fruit and nuts and will carry them in their cheek pouches to other locations where they then eat or drop them, causing dispersal of the plant seed.

Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds

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bibliographic citation
Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
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Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Trophic Strategy

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Mountain pacas are opportunistic frugivores. They feed primarily on fruits and nuts, sometimes eating small grains. They often bring their food to a central midden in their large, fur-lined cheek pouches. Mountain pacas are important seed dispersal agents of many fruiting tree species.

Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit

Foraging Behavior: stores or caches food

Primary Diet: herbivore (Frugivore , Granivore )

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bibliographic citation
Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
author
Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Distribution

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Cuniculus taczanowskii is found in the higher elevation mountain ranges of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )

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Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
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Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Habitat

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Mountain pacas live at elevations of 2000 to 3500 meters with most individuals found between 2000 and 3050 meters. They are terrestrial but live near rivers or swampy areas in dense forest thickets. They often use water to escape when in danger as they are good swimmers. They are nocturnal and spend the daytime in underground burrows they construct which are up to 5 meters deep.

Range elevation: 2000 to 3500 m.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; mountains

Wetlands: swamp

Other Habitat Features: agricultural ; riparian

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bibliographic citation
Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
author
Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Life Expectancy

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There is little data on wild lifespan of mountain pacas and there are few in captivity. A lifespan of 12.5 years was recorded in the wild.

Range lifespan
Status: wild:
12.5 (high) years.

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bibliographic citation
Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
author
Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Reproduction

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Mountain pacas have a monogamous mating system, although males and females live alone. Mates live in separate dens which are normally in close proximity. Other mating behaviors are unknown.

Mating System: monogamous

Mountain paca reproduction is not well studied, but is thought to be like that of Cuniculus paca (pacas) and much of the information below is based om that species. Pacas breed year round with a gestation period of around 118 days, and can give birth to two litters per year. A single offspring is usually produced with twins being rare. Young weigh 450 to 800g at birth, growing quickly to maturity at age of 1. Pacas are weaned at about 3 months old and females experience a post-partum estrous.

Breeding interval: Mountain pacas give birth up to two times each year.

Breeding season: Seasonality of mating is not known in mountain pacas.

Range number of offspring: 1 to 2.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Range gestation period: 100 to 130 days.

Average gestation period: 118 days.

Average weaning age: 3 months.

Average time to independence: 1 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous ; post-partum estrous

Like other mammals, female mountain pacas invest heavily in their offspring through gestation, lactation, and other care of the young. Male parental investment is not known in mountain pacas.

Parental Investment: precocial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)

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bibliographic citation
Krause, C. 2007. "Cuniculus taczanowskii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cuniculus_taczanowskii.html
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Cody Krause, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Molecular Biology

provided by EOL authors
This species has an taxonomic status of 2N equal to 78 chromosomes (Castro J)

Conservation Status

provided by EOL authors
It is endangered due to:
-Destruction of habitat
-Uncontrolled hunting for their meat consumption
(Castro J.)

Benefits

provided by EOL authors
Is hunted for meat consumption

Distribution

provided by EOL authors
The Tinajo, borugo, moor guagua or black guagua, is endemic of high Andes of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and probably Perú (Castro J.)

Reference.

Castro J. Castro M, Suárez E. El tinago o borugo, Agouti Taczanowskii, especie altoandina para conservar. Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. Bogotá. 2003.

Mountain paca

provided by wikipedia EN

The mountain paca (Cuniculus taczanowskii) is a small burrow-dwelling rodent whose habitats are high altitude South American forests. Pacas are nocturnal, sedentary, and solitary animals with territorial tendencies. It eats mostly fruits and seeds. The mountain paca primarily inhabits higher Andean montane forest regions in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

This paca has coarse fur without underfur, dark brown to black on the upper body and white or yellowish on the underbelly. It usually has three to five rows of white spots along its sides, against a dark grey background. It has thick strong legs, with four digits in the forefeet and five in the hind feet (the first and fifth are reduced); the nails function as hooves. The tail is short and hairless. The zygomatic arch is expanded laterally and dorsally and is used as a resonating chamber - a unique feature among mammals.

The mountain paca is hunted for its meat, which is high in calories and is considered a delicacy particularly in rural communities. Due to its quick growth, it may be bred in captivity for commercial use. However, it has a low reproductive capacity and its numbers have been significantly reduced in recent years due to hunting and habitat destruction. It is fairly abundant in protected areas.

Cuniculus hernandezi

Cuniculus hernandezi Castro, López & Becerra, 2010 is a name coined for a proposed species of paca described as an endemic to the Central Andes in Colombia, the only place it has been identified as such to date. Individuals may weigh over 14 pounds (6.4 kg), making C. hernandezi a rather large rodent. The authors omitted a description of the animal, but it is thought to be very similar to the mountain paca, C. taczanowskii, from which this taxon was split. According to the authors, analysis of its mitochondrial DNA and karyotypy indicated that it may be a distinct species.[3] The specific epithet honours Colombian biologist Dr. Jorge Hernández Camacho.[4]

Héctor Ramírez-Chaves and Sergio Solari, in 2014, argued that the species is not an available name (nomen nudum) according to the rules of the current International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), due to imprecise definition of the taxon and lack of a type specimen. Not only is the taxonomy blundered; the original research also used a faulty methodology with limited data to obtain their genetic tree, omitted to publish important results validating (or not) their conclusions, neglected a study of the availability of previously proposed names for pacas found in the region (old synonyms; i.e. C. serriae in Colombia and Venezuela), and presented no evidence with which to identify the taxon (even the illustrations lack identifications). Although the authors claim that the taxon is easily differentiated by the size of the interparietal bone, they then mention that morphological measurements cannot distinguish the taxon, nor do they provide any evidence to back these assertions. Furthermore, no evidence was presented restricting the taxon to the central Cordilleras.[5]

References

  1. ^ Roach, N. (2016). "Cuniculus taczanowskii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T700A22197554. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T700A22197554.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ https://www.mammaldiversity.org/explore.html#genus=CUNICULUS&species=taczanowskii&id=1001214
  3. ^ Rodríguez, Elizabeth Cañas (28 April 2010). "New Discovery: Third Biggest Rodent in the World". UN Periódico. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  4. ^ Castro, Jose J.; Bautista López, Juan; Becerra, Francisco (2010). "Una nueva especie de Cuniculus (Rodentia:Cuniculidae) de la Cordillera Central de Colombia" [A new species of Cuniculus (Rodentia:Cuniculidae) from the central mountains of Colombia]. Revista de la Asociación Colombiana de Ciencias Biológicas (in Spanish) (22): 122–131. Archived from the original on 2014-09-21.
  5. ^ RAMÍREZ-CHAVES, H.E.; SOLARI, S. (2014). "Sobre la disponibilidade del nombre Cuniculus hernandezi Castro, López y Becerra, 2010 (Rodentia: Cuniculidae)". Actualidades Biológicas. 36 (100): 59–62.

Bibliography

  • Woods, C. A. and C. W. Kilpatrick. 2005. Hystricognathi. Pp 1538–1600 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference 3rd ed. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.

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Mountain paca: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

The mountain paca (Cuniculus taczanowskii) is a small burrow-dwelling rodent whose habitats are high altitude South American forests. Pacas are nocturnal, sedentary, and solitary animals with territorial tendencies. It eats mostly fruits and seeds. The mountain paca primarily inhabits higher Andean montane forest regions in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

This paca has coarse fur without underfur, dark brown to black on the upper body and white or yellowish on the underbelly. It usually has three to five rows of white spots along its sides, against a dark grey background. It has thick strong legs, with four digits in the forefeet and five in the hind feet (the first and fifth are reduced); the nails function as hooves. The tail is short and hairless. The zygomatic arch is expanded laterally and dorsally and is used as a resonating chamber - a unique feature among mammals.

The mountain paca is hunted for its meat, which is high in calories and is considered a delicacy particularly in rural communities. Due to its quick growth, it may be bred in captivity for commercial use. However, it has a low reproductive capacity and its numbers have been significantly reduced in recent years due to hunting and habitat destruction. It is fairly abundant in protected areas.

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