Diet analysis from gastrointestinal content samples of pacas (Rodentia: Cuniculus paca) in southeastern Brazil

• Grant number: 24/17650-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Natalie Olifiers
• Grantee: Bruna Pereira Singolani
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Pacas (Cuniculidae: Cuniculus paca) are large herbivorous rodents found from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, inhabiting all Brazilian states. They forage at night for fallen fruits, sprouts, and tubers, acting as seed dispersers for small seeds, contributing to forest regeneration, and predators of large seeds. Despite their ecological importance, little is known about their diet. This study aims to characterize the diet of pacas in southeastern Brazil through the analysis of intestinal and stomach contents of roadkill and/or deceased animals found and necropsied. 55 samples from 30 animals, collected between 2012 and 2024, will be analyzed. The food items will be categorized as plant material (fruit peels or pulp, fragments of branches and leaves), seeds (initially separated into morphotypes), arthropods, and human-origin materials (plastic, aluminum, glass). Seeds and other organisms will be identified with the assistance of specialists. After obtaining the results, calculations will be made to determine the frequency of food items, accumulation curves, and sample sufficiency for the species' diet characterization, followed by niche breadth analysis. A chi-square test will be applied to compare differences between seasons and sexes of the animals.