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Scientific Name : Dasyprocta punctata
Agoutis are found in South America and central America.
Agoutis live in tropical forests and areas with plenty of bushy undergrowth. They especially like to live near rivers and streams.
They eat fruit, nuts, and plants. When food is plentiful, they carefully bury seeds to dig up later.
Agoutis are eaten by cats such as jaguars and ocelots, by birds of prey and by large snakes.
Agoutis produce one or two
young each year. Baby agoutis are covered with fur at birth and can eat plants
when they are only one hour old.
During the mating season the male sprays the female with urine! She seems to
like this, and performs a kind of dance to show that she is willing to mate.
The agouti's colour helps to camouflage it on the forest floor
Both males and females mark their territory with special scent glands.
They "freeze" when they sense danger, hoping not to be spotted. If this fails, they give an alarm call and run off, zig-zagging through the trees.
Agoutis belong to the group of animals called rodents (like rats, guinea pigs and squirrels). All rodents have long front teeth which keep growing all their lives - they must wear them down by gnawing on hard things.
Facts and Figures |
|
Name |
agouti |
Type of animal |
mammal |
Where found |
South America |
Habitat |
tropical rainforest |
Diet |
omnivorous |
Average length |
51 cm |
Average weight |
2.5 kg |
Average number of young per year |
2 |
Gestation |
112 days |
Maximum lifespan |
20 years |