The aim of this study was to evaluate by goniometry the hind limbs of pacas raised in captivity. Eight mature pacas (Cuniculus paca), three females and five males, weighing 6.0-8.2 kg, were used. The quantity of joint flexion and extension motion of the hip joint, stifle joint and tarsocrural joint was measured using a plastic standard goniometer. Under dissociative anesthesia, two measures were made for each member in each animal by the same observer at an interval of one week. There were no statistical differences of the quantity of joint motion between the moments. The flexion and extension angles varied from 1º to 5º in each moment for the same observer. The mean values of the angles of flexion and extension were, respectively, 43.96º±7.62 and 118.31º±9.79 for hip joint, 54.25º±10.24 and 131.53º±7.89 for stifle joint, and 45.94º±7.16 and 145.03º±5.06 for tarsocrural joint. Thus, it was observed that the range of motion of the pacas is greater in the tarsocrural joint, followed respectively by stifle and hip joints.
Range of motion; rodents; flexion; extension; wild animals
