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Pacarana - DINOMYS BRANICKII

Endangered

Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
Subclass: True Mammals (Eutheria)
Order: Gnawing Mammals (Rodentia)
Family: Dinomyidae.

The Name "Pacarana": "Pacarana" is unknown, but probably comes from the native South American Tupi language.

Location: Central South America.

Habitat: Terrestrial. Tropical forest.

Description: The pacarana’s coat is dark brown and black with two fairly continuous white stripes running lengthwise along the back, as well as other scattered white markings. On the belly the coat is paler. The ears are short and round, the feet have four toes with long powerful claws. The upper lip is divided by a deep cleft and the whiskers are very long - aImost the length of the whole head. These animals grow over three feet long, about eight inches of which is tail. It can weigh over thirty pounds.

Behavior: This is a docile and secretive creature about which very little is known. It was discovered for the first time in 1873, and has been thought to be nearing extinction at various times since then.

Reproduction: Several have been caught and sent to zoos. Although some have been successfully reared on a diet of fruit, leaves, and plant stems, few have reproduced in captivity. So little is known about their reproductive behavior. Only one or two young are born in a litter.

Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.





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