Catherine a. Crusen, age 8, of Peoria, Ill., for her question:

What kind of animal is  a paca?     

The jack rabbit leaps across our western prairies in giant jumps. Far to the north lives the varying hare who changes his summery brown coat for winter white. Many rabbits and cottontails make their homes in our fields and wildwoods. We often call all these furry fellows bunnies, because it is not easy to tell which is which.

The bunny type animals of South America are somewhat different from the bobtailed bunnies that hop across our fields and hide in our woods. Some of the bunnies who live south of the border are whoppers, big and bouncy enough to scarf a medium size dog. One of them is the paca, who measures three feet from his sniffy little nose to where his tail would be, if he had one. He is a foot longer than our biggest jack rabbit.

The paca is a shy and timid animal who spends the day hiding safely in his underground burrow. His legs are short and no good for giant jumps. Unlike our bunnies, he has a pair of small, round ears buried in his fur and too small to be noticed. His coat of bristly hair is warm brown or bright chestnut in color. He is called the spotted paca because his sides are spotted with white. The dots look like several rows of c1ean, white buttons.

The spotted paca's fingers and toes end in nails that are as hard as little hooves. He eats only plant food, and his tough nails are very helpful when he has to dig up roots and bulbs. He nibbles on grasses and green leaves growing near the ground, and when a ripe fruit falls from a tree he settles down to enjoy a juicy dessert.

All his dining is done after sundown and far into the dusky night. It is never safe for the fat, furry fellow to be seen around in the daytime  for many hungry animals are eager to eat him. His most dangerous enemy is the slinky ocelot, a spotted jungle cat somewhat larger than a house cat. The paca can travel quite fast when he has to, and he also can dodge many of his enemies by taking to the water. But he cannot outrun the oce1ot, and this spotted cat also can swim .

Baby pacas are born safely out of sight in the underground burrow, many of our bunnies are born blind aid helpless, and it is several weeks before they can come forth to see the world. But the young pacas are born with their eyes wide open; all dressed in warm fur coats and quite ready to cope with the world. Mama will take them upstairs to see the starry night, and in a short time the little fellows will be nibbling grasses and low growing green leaves.