CreatureData

Lowland paca

Cuniculus paca (Linnaeus, 1766)

LCLeast Concernrodents

The lowland paca (Cuniculus paca) is a species in the family Cuniculidae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 8.17 kg to 9 kg and live up to 16 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Lowland paca (Cuniculus paca)
Photo: Garst, Warren, 1922-2016, photographer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the lowland paca

Weight
8.17 kg – 9 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
16 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
16.8 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
116 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1.01src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
11 months – 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the lowland paca live?

Not recorded

What is the lowland paca?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The lowland paca (Cuniculus paca), also known as the spotted paca, is a species of rodent. It has coarse dark brown to black fur, a pale underbelly, and typically 3–5 rows of white spots along its sides. Adults weigh 6 to 12 kilograms (13 to 26 lb). Its zygomatic arch is expanded laterally and dorsally to form a resonating chamber, a feature unique among mammals.

Lowland pacas are primarily nocturnal and solitary. They inhabit forested areas near water, live in burrows, and are strong swimmers that commonly enter the water to escape danger. Their diet consists mainly of plant material, including fruit, seeds, nuts, roots, and tubers, and they act as seed distributors.

Lowland pacas are hunted for their meat and can be agricultural pests, feeding on crops, including yam, cassava, sugar cane, and maize. Their numbers have been reduced by hunting and habitat destruction, although they remain plentiful in protected habitats.

From the Wikipedia article “Lowland paca” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lowland_paca&oldid=1371785478), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the lowland paca endangered?

The lowland paca is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the lowland paca classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familyCuniculidae
  6. genusCuniculus
  7. SpeciesCuniculus paca (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms Agouti paca, Coelogenys paca, Mus paca

Other names and names in other languages (35)
  • PacaEnglish
  • Red pacaEnglish
  • Spotted cavyEnglish
  • Spotted pacaEnglish
  • Spotted pacaEnglish
  • باكا السهولArabic
  • paka nížinnáCzech
  • PakaGerman
  • ΠάκαGreek
  • LapaSpanish
  • BorugaSpanish
  • CamilaSpanish
  • ConejoSpanish
  • GuacabitinaxSpanish
  • GuaguaSpanish
  • Guagua de castillaSpanish
  • GuantaSpanish
  • GuatinajaSpanish
  • PacaSpanish
  • PintadilloSpanish
  • TacuáSpanish
  • TepescuintleSpanish
  • TepezcuintleSpanish
  • TepezquintleSpanish
  • TinajoSpanish
  • AgoutiFrench
  • Paca des plainesFrench
  • pettyes pakaHungarian
  • Paca maculatoItalian
  • パカJapanese
  • paka nizinnaPolish
  • ПакаRussian
  • Wanasrm
  • heiSranan Tongo
  • 駝鼠Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the lowland paca

Other species in the same genus Cuniculus.

NT, Near Threatened
Mountain paca (Cuniculus taczanowskii)

Mountain paca

Cuniculus taczanowskii

Cuniculidae

CompareLowland paca vs Mountain pacaLowland paca vs Agouti silvagarciae

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the lowland paca?

An adult lowland paca weighs 8.17 kg – 9 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the lowland paca endangered?

The lowland paca is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the lowland paca live?

The lowland paca has a recorded lifespan of 16 years.

How long is the lowland paca pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 116 days.

What kind of animal is the lowland paca?

The lowland paca (Cuniculus paca) belongs to the family Cuniculidae in the order Rodentia.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Lowland paca (Cuniculus paca). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lowland-paca

MLA

“Lowland paca (Cuniculus paca).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lowland-paca.

BibTeX
@misc{lowland_paca_2026,
  title = {Lowland paca (Cuniculus paca)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lowland-paca},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}