Editing Paca (section)

==Reproduction==
Gestation lasts between 114 and 119 days with about 190 days between births.  Pacas are [[precocial]], the young are born with fur and open eyes.  Normally, mothers give birth to one young, but she can give birth up to three times per year if conditions allow.  More than one birth per year results in lactation periods overlapping pregnancies.   [[Weaning]] begins after six weeks, but the young start to follow their mothers early and can do so for up to a year.<ref name="Grzimek" />

Sexual maturity is reached after 6–12 months, when females weigh about {{Convert|6.5|kg|abbr=on}} and males {{Convert|7.5|kg|abbr=on}}.  Pacas usually mate in water.  As the male approaches the female, she starts to hop enthusiastically, more so if he sprays her with urine.  Pacas have altered the common rodent strategy&nbsp;— safety in numbers&nbsp;— and mind their offspring carefully. At {{Convert|650|-|710|g|abbr=on}} at birth, the young are born in holes too small for both predators and the mother to enter, which are then covered with leaves and twigs.  To invite the young out of the hole, the mother uses a low rolling vocalization.  Suckling usually lasts for 90 days, after which the young weighs {{Convert|4|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Grzimek" />