Cuniculus hernandezi | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Cuniculidae |
Genus: | Cuniculus |
Species: | C. hernandezi |
Binomial name | |
Cuniculus hernandezi Castro, López & Becerra, 2010 |
Cuniculus hernandezi is a species of paca that is endemic to the Central Andes in Colombia. Individuals may weigh over 14 pounds (6.4 kg), making C. hernandezi the third-largest rodent species worldwide. The species is very similar to the mountain paca, Cuniculus taczanowskii, but analysis of its revealed that it is a distinct species. The specific epithet honors Colombian biologist Dr. Jorge Hernández Camacho. Héctor Ramírez-Chaves and Sergio Solari, in 2014, considered that the species is not an available name (nomen nudum) according to the rules of the current International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).