A rodent (family Culiculidae) with a large head, small ears, large eyes, a plump body, and toes (four on the forelimbs, five on the hindlimbs) that end in thick claws resembling hooves. They live in burrows, usually close to water, and swim well. Pacas feed on fruit, flowers, fungi, and insects. They occur mainly in rainforests and cloud forests in Central and South America. There are three species in the genus Cuniculus: lowland paca (C. paca); mountain paca (C. taczanowskii); and C. hernandezi.