Paca

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 Argentina's North. It is called paca in most of its range, but tepezcuintle in Mexico and Guatemala, Conejo Pintado in Panamá, guanta in Ecuador, majás in Peru and boruga in Colombia. It is also known as the gibnut in Belize, where it is prized as a game animal, labba in Guyana and lappe on the island of Trinidad.

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 the distinct Dasyprocta genus (such as the Brazilian 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).