Pakarana (3 photos)

A large friendly mouse weighing 15 kilos





We all know such an animal as a capybara, since this animal is the largest rodent in the world. And we can’t even imagine what is in second and third place.

Pakarana is a rodent that looks like a huge mouse. The mouse weighs from 10 to 15 kilograms, because of such a large weight for a rodent, it becomes the second in the top of the largest rodents in the world. The body length is approximately 80 centimeters, the fur is coarse and quite sparse, the color is almost always gray, very rarely there are individuals with brownish shades.

Pacarana is considered an old animal, because scientists have proven that these mice ran along the surface of the earth about 8 million years ago. This data is confirmed by the finds of skeletons of these rodents, as well as fossils in the rocks.

Our mouse lives in the tropical forests of Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia. The rodent is active only at night, during the day it rests in its shelter. A shelter for pacarana can be either a small bush or a small nest on a tree. The animal has large claws, so it will not have any difficulty climbing even tall trees.

The rodent feeds on berries, fruits, young shoots of grass, young leaves of some species of trees. The rodent has a docile character, so it can often be found as a pet in the homes of local residents.

It is unknown how many years the animal can live in the wild, but in captivity mice usually live no more than 9 years. The rodent is distinguished by its calmness, cleanliness and the fact that it is not particularly picky about plant food, it can eat at least a watermelon, at least a melon, at least a carrot.

But still, you should not think that the animal is ideal. If you look at its claws, it will immediately become clear that it is better not to let it on the sofa and other fabric furniture.