Agouti
Agoutis (genus Dasyprocta) are large rodents of Central and South America. With the acouchis (Myoprocta) they make up the family Dasyproctidae.[1]
Distribution
Agoutis range from southern Mexico through Central America to western Ecuador. East of the Andes they range from the north coast of South America, including Trinidad and Tobago and some of the Lesser Antilles, to northern Argentina and coastal Brazil.[2] They also live in the Chaco and the Cerrado.[1]
Description
Agoutis weigh 2 to 6 kg and have a tiny, naked tail. Acouchis, by contrast, weigh less than 1.5 kg and have a short, hairy tail.[2] Their cheek teeth are high-crowned, and the enamel of the incisors is yellow or orange.[3]
Classification
The classification of the genus has been described as chaotic and badly in need of revision. Mammals of South America recognises ten species.[2] Emmons and Feer recognised seven, while Iack-Ximenes in 1999 identified twelve in Brazil alone. Species are told apart almost entirely by the colour and pattern of the fur, so observations of behaviour are hard to assign to particular species.[4]
Behaviour
Agoutis live alone, in pairs or in family groups.[1] Males and females form pairs, but the males do not help care for the young.[5] Agoutis mark their territories with a special anal gland.[6] In the Central American agouti (D. punctata), both males and females have anal scent glands.[7]
Status
The IUCN Red List assessed the red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) in 2016 as Least Concern, with a stable population.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 13. ISBN 9781118846520.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 735. ISBN 9780226169606.
- ↑ Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 734. ISBN 9780226169606.
- ↑ Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 736. ISBN 9780226169606.
- ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 289. ISBN 9781118846520.
- ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 156. ISBN 9781118846520.
- ↑ Decker, J. (2000). "Dasyprocta punctata". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan.
- ↑ Emmons, L.; Reid, F. (2016). "Dasyprocta leporina". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T89497102A22197762.en. Retrieved 2 November 2026.