And now for an animal that, the more I've learned about it, the higher it has gone on my personal wishlist...
Pacarana
Dinomys branickii
Continents: South America
Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Biomes: Temperate, Tropical, Taiga
The exact habitat requirements of this species are little-known, but it occurs primarily in montane forests ranging from 250-3,200m in elevation. They also occur in paramo, the high-altitude Andean grasslands, provided there is sufficient cover. They also use rocky areas, which provide caves for them to sleep in.
Red List status: Least Concern, with their population trend unknown.
Captive presence: Currently, these animals are not kept in either Europe or North America, although they were successfully kept and bred in several European zoos until the last animal died at Frankfurt Zoo in 1988 and they also did pretty well in American zoos until at least 2004, when a group of them were still being kept at San Diego Zoo (possibly also at Los Angeles). They are still kept in zoos in their native range, where they seem to breed well.
Reasoning: The pacarana is one of the world’s largest rodents, reaching around 15kg in weight – only the capybaras, beavers and crested porcupines are considerably larger than it. This animal could fill a lot of gaps, being not only another rodent but also a new South American species and a new mountain-dwelling species.
Pacarana have many different behaviours that would make them fascinating additions to the game. Although they are mostly terrestrial, they are able to climb, albeit clumsily, and also seem to be able to dig. I probably wouldn’t make them dig burrows, but would let them use the large animal burrow. It would be a bonus if, when the pacarana encounters the sprinkler or water jet rock enrichments, it does its brilliant washing behaviour.
The pacarana is a sociable species, living in groups of three to five adult individuals along with their young and are also very communicative – the communication system includes stamping the front feet, tooth chattering, whining, hissing and, during courtship, the male sings to attract a mate. As well as being sociable with their own kind, pacarana are apparently friendly towards other animals and have been successfully mixed with tamanduas, tamarins, sloths, various birds and tortoises.
Although they are listed as Least Concern, pacarana are still of conservation value. In 12 ecoregions in South America, the pacarana is the only mammal that has become locally extinct, because their slow and clumsy movements make them easy targets for hunters. Raising awareness of this animal would be an excellent reason to include it in the game.
Variations (if any): The pacarana comes in many colour variations, from a dark reddish-brown to richer brown and black, all with white spots along the flanks. Sometimes, the spots are joined up to form a whiteish line. I think five or six different colour morphs would be suitable for this species.
References:
Video of a breeding group of pacarana in an enclosure, showing the animals, their young and enclosure design:
Source: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10155989461190273
A photograph showing two aviaries, each containing pacarana and a mixture of other animal species:
www.zoochat.com
A paper about how reintroduction of pacarana would help restore lost mammal communities:
A video of a pacarana washing itself when its fur gets wet:
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckg3DDsDWWA
Pacarana
Dinomys branickii
Continents: South America
Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Biomes: Temperate, Tropical, Taiga
The exact habitat requirements of this species are little-known, but it occurs primarily in montane forests ranging from 250-3,200m in elevation. They also occur in paramo, the high-altitude Andean grasslands, provided there is sufficient cover. They also use rocky areas, which provide caves for them to sleep in.
Red List status: Least Concern, with their population trend unknown.
Captive presence: Currently, these animals are not kept in either Europe or North America, although they were successfully kept and bred in several European zoos until the last animal died at Frankfurt Zoo in 1988 and they also did pretty well in American zoos until at least 2004, when a group of them were still being kept at San Diego Zoo (possibly also at Los Angeles). They are still kept in zoos in their native range, where they seem to breed well.
Reasoning: The pacarana is one of the world’s largest rodents, reaching around 15kg in weight – only the capybaras, beavers and crested porcupines are considerably larger than it. This animal could fill a lot of gaps, being not only another rodent but also a new South American species and a new mountain-dwelling species.
Pacarana have many different behaviours that would make them fascinating additions to the game. Although they are mostly terrestrial, they are able to climb, albeit clumsily, and also seem to be able to dig. I probably wouldn’t make them dig burrows, but would let them use the large animal burrow. It would be a bonus if, when the pacarana encounters the sprinkler or water jet rock enrichments, it does its brilliant washing behaviour.
The pacarana is a sociable species, living in groups of three to five adult individuals along with their young and are also very communicative – the communication system includes stamping the front feet, tooth chattering, whining, hissing and, during courtship, the male sings to attract a mate. As well as being sociable with their own kind, pacarana are apparently friendly towards other animals and have been successfully mixed with tamanduas, tamarins, sloths, various birds and tortoises.
Although they are listed as Least Concern, pacarana are still of conservation value. In 12 ecoregions in South America, the pacarana is the only mammal that has become locally extinct, because their slow and clumsy movements make them easy targets for hunters. Raising awareness of this animal would be an excellent reason to include it in the game.
Variations (if any): The pacarana comes in many colour variations, from a dark reddish-brown to richer brown and black, all with white spots along the flanks. Sometimes, the spots are joined up to form a whiteish line. I think five or six different colour morphs would be suitable for this species.
References:
Video of a breeding group of pacarana in an enclosure, showing the animals, their young and enclosure design:
Source: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10155989461190273
A photograph showing two aviaries, each containing pacarana and a mixture of other animal species:
New Andean Mixed Exhibits - ZooChat
The exhibit on the left is housing Andean of the rock, two toed slots, Cauca guans, bronze-winged parrot and pacaranas. The one on the right houses white-footed tamarins, tamanduas, Cauca...
www.zoochat.com
A paper about how reintroduction of pacarana would help restore lost mammal communities:
A video of a pacarana washing itself when its fur gets wet:
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