38-681: Cuniculus paca Cuniculus taczanowskii Cuniculus hernandezi (validity questionable) For Cuniculidae: For Cuniculus : A paca (from Tupí paka ) is a member of the genus Cuniculus of ground-dwelling, herbivorous rodents in South and Central America . It is the only genus in the family Cuniculidae . Pacas are large rodents with dots and stripes on their sides, short ears, and barely visible tails. Pacas are eaten by people in Belize, where they are known as "gibnut" and, having been served to Queen Elizabeth II , "the royal rat". In
76-449: A resonating chamber - a unique feature among mammals. An adult lowland paca weighs between 6 and 12 kilograms (13 and 26 lb). Each litter has one young lowland paca, sometimes two. They usually have one to three young a year with a gestation period of about 115–120 days. Pacas are sexually mature at about 1 year. A paca usually lives up to 13 years. The lowland paca can carry leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis . The lowland paca
114-620: A livestock feed. The young of elephants , giant pandas , koalas , and hippos eat the feces of their mothers or other animals in the herd, to obtain the bacteria required to properly digest vegetation found in their ecosystems. When such animals are born, their intestines are sterile and do not contain these bacteria. Without doing this, they would be unable to obtain any nutritional value from plants. Piglets with access to maternal feces early in life exhibited better performance. Hamsters , guinea pigs , chinchillas , hedgehogs , and pigs eat their own droppings, which are thought to be
152-443: A means of obtaining their hindgut protists . Termites and protists have a symbiotic relationship (e.g. with the protozoan that allows the termites to digest the cellulose in their diet). For example, in one group of termites, a three-way symbiotic relationship exists; termites of the family Rhinotermitidae, cellulolytic protists of the genus Pseudotrichonympha in the guts of these termites, and intracellular bacterial symbionts of
190-429: A source of vitamins B and K , produced by gut bacteria. Sometimes, there is also the aspect of self-anointment while these creatures eat their droppings. On rare occasions gorillas have been observed consuming their feces, possibly out of boredom, a desire for warm food, or to reingest seeds contained in the feces. Some carnivorous plants, such as pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes , obtain nutrition from
228-399: A vital role in seed dispersal, and, with seasonal adaptations, their home ranges are often centered on a group of fruit trees. Pacas normally do not use their fore-paws to manipulate fruits (as do agoutis), instead using their powerful jaw muscles to break open hard-shelled fruits. Unlike agoutis, pacas can store fat, and so are less dependent on the caching of seeds. Competition from agoutis
266-600: Is a very good climber and it searches for fruit in the trees. The lowland paca can be considered an important seed distributor, since its diet includes leaves, stems, roots, tubers, nuts, seeds, herbs and fruit, especially avocados , mangos and zapotes , as well as coco macaque , balata , wild chataigne, hog plum , pomerac and guava . Introduced species such as jack-fruit and buri are also eaten. It sometimes stores food. Lowland paca also have necrophagy behavior, consuming carcasses of decomposing animals, possibly to supply protein demands of their diet. The lowland paca
304-633: Is also known as the gibnut in Belize , where it is prized as a game animal , labba in Guyana , lapa in Venezuela, and lappe on the island of Trinidad . Although lowland pacas are not in danger of being extinct, local extinctions have occurred due to habitat destruction . There is much confusion in the nomenclature of this and related species; see agouti . In particular, the popular term agouti or common agouti normally refers to species of
342-509: Is avoided by a slight variation in activity cycles and food preferences. Like rabbits, pacas are coprophagous and absorb protein and carbohydrates from specially produced moist fecal pellets. Before allowing their young to suckle, mothers lick them to stimulate them to defecate and urinate, and then lick the resulting product, both to feed herself and to prevent the odour from attracting predators. Gestation lasts between 114 and 119 days with about 190 days between births. Pacas are precocial ,
380-897: Is called paca in most of its range, but tepezcuintle (original Aztec language name) in most of Mexico and Central America, tepesquintle in Guatemala, guardatinaja in Nicaragua , pisquinte in northern Costa Rica, jaleb in the Yucatán peninsula, conejo pintado in Panama , guanta in Ecuador , majás or picuro in Peru , jochi pintado in Bolivia , and boruga , tinajo , or guartinaja in Colombia . It
418-422: Is considered an agricultural pest for yam , cassava , sugar cane , maize and other food crops. Its meat is highly prized. It is plentiful in protected habitats, and hence not in danger of extinction, but overall its numbers have been much reduced because of hunting and habitat destruction . It is easily bred and raised in farms, although the taste is said to be inferior (perhaps unpleasant) when farmed. Some of
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#1732772258692456-441: Is mostly nocturnal and solitary and does not vocalize very much. It lives in forested habitats near water, preferably smaller rivers, and dig simple burrows about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) below the surface, usually with more than one exit. It can also sometimes live in burrows created by other animals. The lowland paca is a good swimmer and usually heads for the water to escape danger, as it can stay under water for several minutes. It also
494-474: Is not called coprophagia. Domesticated and wild mammals are sometimes coprophagic. Some dogs may lack critical digestive enzymes when they are only eating processed dried foods, so they gain these from consuming fecal matter. They only consume fecal matter that is less than two days old which supports this theory. Cattle in the United States are often fed chicken litter . Concerns have arisen that
532-410: Is surprisingly loud for their size. Aside from making noises, territories are marked with urine. Population density can reach up to 70 adults per 20 ha (49 acres), and pacas often constitute some 20% of the biomass of terrestrial mammals. In the wild, pacas eat fruits from understory trees and fallen fruits from taller trees, but may also eat leaves, buds, flowers, fungi, and insects. They play
570-531: The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature as the lowland paca's genus. The word paca comes from a word in the Tupi language that designates the animal but also means 'awaken, alert'. Tepezcuintle is of Nahuatl origin, meaning 'mountain-dog', from tepetl , 'mountain' + itzquintli , 'dog'. The lowland paca has coarse fur without underfur, dark brown to black on
608-496: The anus . In humans, coprophagia has been described since the late 19th century in individuals with mental illnesses and in some sexual acts, such as the practices of anilingus and felching where sex partners insert their tongue into each other's anus and ingest biologically significant amounts of feces. Some animal species eat feces as a normal behavior, in particular lagomorphs , which do so to allow tough plant materials to be digested more thoroughly by passing twice through
646-454: The shock video 2 Girls 1 Cup . The 120 Days of Sodom , a 1785 novel by Marquis de Sade , prominently features depictions of erotic sadomasochistic coprophagia. The 1975 film of the same name also contains scenes of coprophilia and coprophagia. Ayurveda and Siddha medicine use animal excreta in various forms, with the most important being the dung and urine of the Zebu . During
684-645: The Amazon basin they are known as "majás". In Guyanese English, it is known as labba from Arawak . Pacas originated in South America and are one of the few mammal species that successfully emigrated to North America after the Great American Interchange 3 million years ago . They were formerly grouped with the agoutis in the family Dasyproctidae , subfamily Agoutinae , but were given full family status because they differ in
722-531: The antibiotic subtilisin from Bacillus subtilis ) was anecdotally confirmed by German soldiers in Africa during World War II". However, this story is likely a myth, and independent research has been unable to verify these claims. Coprophagia has also been observed in some people with schizophrenia and pica . Coprophagous insects consume and redigest the feces of large animals. These feces contain substantial amounts of semidigested food , particularly in
760-478: The case of herbivores , owing to the inefficiency of the large animals' digestive systems . Thousands of species of coprophagous insects are known, especially among the orders Diptera and Coleoptera . Examples of such flies are Scathophaga stercoraria and Sepsis cynipsea , dung flies commonly found in Europe around cattle droppings. Among beetles, dung beetles are a diverse lineage, many of which feed on
798-537: The cheese's fats. Members of a religious cult in Thailand routinely ate the feces and dead skin of their leader, whom they considered to be a holy man with healing powers. According to the DSM-5 , coprophilia is a paraphilia where the object of sexual interest is feces. This can involve coprophagia. Coprophagia is sometimes depicted in pornography , typically under the term "scat" (from scatology ), such as in
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#1732772258692836-461: 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,
874-480: The digestive tract. Other species may eat feces under certain conditions . The feces of the rock ptarmigan is used in Urumiit , which is a delicacy in some Inuit cuisine . Several beverages are made using the feces of animals, including but not limited to Kopi luwak , insect tea , and Black Ivory Coffee . Casu martzu is a cheese that uses the digestive processes of live maggots to help ferment and break down
912-468: The distinct genus Dasyprocta (such as the Central American agouti , Dasyprocta punctata ). Sometimes the word agouti is also used for a polyphyletic grouping uniting the families Cuniculidae and Dasyproctidae , which, besides the pacas and common agoutis, includes also the acouchis ( Myoprocta ). Cuniculus is the appropriate genus name instead of Agouti based on a 1998 ruling of
950-747: The lowland paca predators include ocelots , jaguars , coyotes , bush dogs , crocodiles , and boa constrictors . Coprophagy Coprophagia ( / ˌ k ɒ p r ə ˈ f eɪ dʒ i ə / KOP -rə- FAY -jee-ə ) or coprophagy ( / k ə ˈ p r ɒ f ə dʒ i / kə- PROF -ə-jee ) is the consumption of feces . The word is derived from the Ancient Greek κόπρος kópros "feces" and φαγεῖν phageîn "to eat". Coprophagy refers to many kinds of feces-eating, including eating feces of other species (heterospecifics), of other individuals (allocoprophagy), or one's own (autocoprophagy). Feces may be already deposited or taken directly from
988-402: 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
1026-436: The microorganism-rich liquid component of mammals' dung, and lay their eggs in balls composed mainly of the remaining fibrous material. Group living and aggregation among common earwigs promotes allo-coprophagy (consuming the feces of other members of one's own species) to promote the growth of helpful gut bacteria and provide a food source when food is scarce. Through proctodeal feeding, termites eat one another's feces as
1064-447: The mid 16th century, physicians tasted their patients' feces to better judge their state and condition, according to François Rabelais. Rubelais studied medicine, but was also a writer of satirical and grotesque fiction, so the truth of this statement is unclear. Lewin reported "... consumption of fresh, warm camel feces has been recommended by Bedouins as a remedy for bacterial dysentery ; its efficacy (probably attributable to
1102-526: The morning and afternoon, but can be strictly nocturnal in areas with many predators. They live in burrows up to 3 m (10 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 . Pacas have resonating chambers in their cheeks and their growling noise
1140-512: 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. 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. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama has studied
1178-491: The number of toes, the shape of the skull, and coat patterning. Pacas are 50–77 cm (20–30 in) in length, excluding the 13–23 cm (5–9 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. With large hind limbs, small fore limbs, and cone-shaped bodies, pacas are similar in appearance to
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1216-403: The possibilities of developing the paca as a food supply for people in the tropics. Lowland Paca Mus paca Linnaeus, 1766 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 , and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria . The animal
1254-450: The practice of feeding chicken litter to cattle could lead to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad-cow disease) because of the crushed bone meal in chicken feed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates this practice by attempting to prevent the introduction of any part of cattle brain or spinal cord into livestock feed. Chickens also eat their own feces. Other countries, such as Canada, have banned chicken litter for use as
1292-420: The protists. Lagomorphs ( rabbits , hares , pikas ) and some other mammals ferment fiber in their cecums, which is then expelled as cecotropes and eaten from the anus, a process called " cecotrophy ". Then their food is processed through the gastrointestinal tract a second time, which allows them to absorb more nutrition. While cecotropes are expelled from the anus, they are not feces and thus eating them
1330-696: 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. 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. They are normally passive in daytime and forage in
1368-407: 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
1406-527: The young are born with fur and open eyes. Normally, mothers give birth to one young, but she can give birth up to three times per year if conditions allow. More than one birth per year results in lactation periods overlapping pregnancies. Weaning begins after six weeks, but the young start to follow their mothers early and can do so for up to a year. 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
1444-542: 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). 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. The smaller mountain paca lives in
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