Common agouti
Encyclopedia
The popular term Agouti designates several rodent
species of the genus
Dasyprocta that inhabit areas of Middle America
, the West Indies, and northern South America
. They are related to guinea pig
s and look quite similar but have longer legs. The species vary in color from tawny to dark brown with lighter underparts. Their body is covered with coarse hair which is raised when alarmed. They are about 20 inches (50.8 cm) in length with a short hairless tail.
Confusingly, the related paca
s were placed by some authorities in a genus called Agouti
, though Cuniculus has priority and is the correct term (Woods and Kilpatrick, 2005).
teeth have cylindrical crowns, with several islands and a single lateral fold of enamel
. Agoutis may grow to be up to 60 centimetres (23.6 in) in length and 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) in weight. Most species have a brown back and a whitish or buffy belly; the fur may have a glossy appearance and then glimmers in an orange colour. Reports differ as to whether they are diurnal or nocturnal animals.
they are renowned for being very fast running and able to keep hunting dogs occupied chasing them for days.
Agoutis are found in forest and wooded areas in Middle and South America. Their habitat includes rainforest
s, savanna
s and, nowadays, cultivated fields, depending on the species. They conceal themselves at night in hollow tree-trunks or in burrows among roots. Active and graceful in their movements, their pace is either a kind of trot or a series of springs following one another so rapidly as to look like a gallop. They take readily to water, in which they swim well.
When feeding, agoutis sit on their hind legs and hold food between their forepaws. They may gather in groups of up to 100 to feed. They eat fallen fruit, leaves and roots although they may sometimes climb trees to eat green fruit. They will hoard food in small buried stores. In a pinch, they have also been seen eating the eggs of ground-nesting birds and even shellfish on the seashore. Sometimes they can cause damage to sugarcane
and banana
plantations. They are regarded as one of the few species that can open Brazil nuts without tools, mainly thanks to their strength and exceptionally sharp teeth. Macaws are also able to open Brazil nuts without the aid of tools.
period of three months. Some species have two litters a year in May and October while others breed year round. Young are born into burrows lined with leaves, roots and hair. They are well developed at birth and may be up and eating within an hour. Fathers are barred from the nest while the young are very small, but the parents pair bond
for the rest of their lives. They can live for as long as twenty years, a remarkably long time for a rodent.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
species of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Dasyprocta that inhabit areas of Middle America
Middle America (Americas)
Middle America is a region in the mid-latitudes of the Americas. In southern North America, it usually comprises Mexico, the nations of Central America, and the West Indies. The scope of the term may vary...
, the West Indies, and northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. They are related to guinea pig
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
s and look quite similar but have longer legs. The species vary in color from tawny to dark brown with lighter underparts. Their body is covered with coarse hair which is raised when alarmed. They are about 20 inches (50.8 cm) in length with a short hairless tail.
Confusingly, the related paca
Paca
The Lowland Paca , also known as the Spotted Paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from East-Central Mexico to Northern Argentina...
s were placed by some authorities in a genus called Agouti
Agouti (genus)
The genus Cuniculus contains the two species of pacas. It is the only genus in the family Cuniculidae.-Species:* Cuniculus hernandezi*Lowland Paca, Cuniculus paca*Mountain Paca, Cuniculus taczanowskii...
, though Cuniculus has priority and is the correct term (Woods and Kilpatrick, 2005).
Description
Agoutis have five front and three hind toes; the first toe is very small. The tail is very short or non-existent and hairless. The molarMolar (tooth)
Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
teeth have cylindrical crowns, with several islands and a single lateral fold of enamel
Tooth enamel
Tooth enamel, along with dentin, cementum, and dental pulp is one of the four major tissues that make up the tooth in vertebrates. It is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance in the human body. Tooth enamel is also found in the dermal denticles of sharks...
. Agoutis may grow to be up to 60 centimetres (23.6 in) in length and 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) in weight. Most species have a brown back and a whitish or buffy belly; the fur may have a glossy appearance and then glimmers in an orange colour. Reports differ as to whether they are diurnal or nocturnal animals.
Behaviour and habitats
In the wild they are shy animals and flee from humans, while in captivity they may become trusting. In TrinidadTrinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
they are renowned for being very fast running and able to keep hunting dogs occupied chasing them for days.
Agoutis are found in forest and wooded areas in Middle and South America. Their habitat includes rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s, savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
s and, nowadays, cultivated fields, depending on the species. They conceal themselves at night in hollow tree-trunks or in burrows among roots. Active and graceful in their movements, their pace is either a kind of trot or a series of springs following one another so rapidly as to look like a gallop. They take readily to water, in which they swim well.
When feeding, agoutis sit on their hind legs and hold food between their forepaws. They may gather in groups of up to 100 to feed. They eat fallen fruit, leaves and roots although they may sometimes climb trees to eat green fruit. They will hoard food in small buried stores. In a pinch, they have also been seen eating the eggs of ground-nesting birds and even shellfish on the seashore. Sometimes they can cause damage to sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
plantations. They are regarded as one of the few species that can open Brazil nuts without tools, mainly thanks to their strength and exceptionally sharp teeth. Macaws are also able to open Brazil nuts without the aid of tools.
Breeding
Agoutis give birth to litters of two to four young after a gestationGestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period of three months. Some species have two litters a year in May and October while others breed year round. Young are born into burrows lined with leaves, roots and hair. They are well developed at birth and may be up and eating within an hour. Fathers are barred from the nest while the young are very small, but the parents pair bond
Pair bond
In biology, a pair bond is the strong affinity that develops in some species between the males and females in a pair, potentially leading to breeding. Pair-bonding is a term coined in the 1940s that is frequently used in sociobiology and evolutionary psychology circles...
for the rest of their lives. They can live for as long as twenty years, a remarkably long time for a rodent.
Species
- Azara's AgoutiAzara's AgoutiAzara's Agouti, Dasyprocta azarae, is a South American agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. It is named after Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara.-Behaviour:...
, Dasyprocta azarae - Coiban AgoutiCoiban AgoutiThe Coiban Agouti is a species of rodent in the family Dasyproctidae.It is endemic to Panama. It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Dasyprocta coibae - Crested AgoutiCrested AgoutiThe Crested Agouti is a species of rodent in the family Dasyproctidae.It is endemic to Suriname. It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Dasyprocta cristata - Black AgoutiBlack AgoutiThe Black Agouti, Dasyprocta fuliginosa, is a South American agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. It is found in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil. The agouti is the only animal that has sharp enough teeth to crack open the tough shell of a brazil nut, something that similar rodents...
, Dasyprocta fuliginosa - Orinoco AgoutiOrinoco AgoutiThe Orinoco Agouti is a species of rodent in the family Dasyproctidae.It is endemic to Venezuela....
, Dasyprocta guamara - Kalinowski's Agouti, Dasyprocta kalinowskii
- Brazilian AgoutiBrazilian AgoutiThe Brazilian Agouti, Dasyprocta leporina, is a South American agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae.It is found in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Trinidad & Tobago and Brazil.It has also been introduced to the Lesser Antilles...
, Dasyprocta leporina - Mexican AgoutiMexican AgoutiThe Mexican Agouti is a species of rodent in the family Dasyproctidae.It is found in Cuba and Mexico.It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Dasyprocta mexicana - Black-rumped AgoutiBlack-rumped AgoutiThe Black-rumped Agouti, Dasyprocta prymnolopha, is an agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. It is an endemic species found only in the northeast portion of Brazil.-References:*...
, Dasyprocta prymnolopha - Central American AgoutiCentral American AgoutiThe Central American Agouti is an agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. The species is widespread in Mesoamerica and South America. The northern section of the range occurs from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula to northern Ecuador and Colombia and western Venezuela...
, Dasyprocta punctata - Ruatan Island AgoutiRuatan Island AgoutiThe Ruatan Island Agouti is a species of rodent in the family Dasyproctidae.It is endemic to Honduras. It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Dasyprocta ruatanica