Food is generally eaten while the animal sits on its haunches and holds the food in its hands. Some agouti seed larders are raided by other animals, including peccaries, coatis, and spiny rats. Agoutis are now the major disperser and Hymenaea germination rates are very low in areas in which agoutis have been hunted out. Species such as Hymenaea courbaril originally evolved to be dispersed by large mammals (such as gompotheres) that went extinct in the Pleistocene. Burying the seeds not only reduces insect predation, but also provides the seeds with a better chance of establishing a good root system while germinating, thus reducing vulnerability to the stress of drought. Some of their stores are forgotten, so agoutis andĪchouchis are important dispersers of rainforest seeds. They collect and store seeds and fruit, rarely eating those that have freshly fallen, preferring those in their various scattered and perpetually replenished larders. Feeding ecology and dietĪgoutis eat primarily fallen fruit, but their diet also includes insects and shoots. From a standing position, they are able to leap over 6.5 ft (2 m) into the air. When resting, they will sit in an erect body posture with feet and ankles flat on the ground, ready to dartĪway if danger is sensed. If threats continue, they will run quickly through the forest, their passage assisted by their cone-shaped body form. They will freeze in mid-stride if threatened. A favorite food of jaguar and other large forest carnivores, agoutis and acouchis have many behaviors aimed at predator avoidance. These spots are so well used that well-beaten paths will radiate out from them into the forest, linking favored foraging and resting sites. Their home range will often include several sleeping spots, often inside fallen hollow logs or under tree roots. BehaviorĪgoutis are ground living and day active, unless heavily hunted. Highly adaptable, agoutis are often associated with water, and they frequently display a distinct preference for using stream banks to make burrows. They require some dense vegetation for cover, but often prefer open areas for foraging. HabitatĪgoutis are associated with primary and secondary forest and scrub. DistributionĪgoutis range from southern Mexico to northern Argentina and Paraguay. The scientific name is derived from the Greek dasus, meaning "hairy," and proktos, meaning "rump." Agoutis not only have hair on their rumps, but it is especially long hair. They are best distinguished from the larger and closely related pacas (Agoutidae) by the absence of prominent patterns of spots and stripes on the flanks. Color is highly variable over the extensive ranges of the two genera even within species, color variation can also be quite extensive. The tail is either a tiny nub and barely visible ( Dasyprocta) or it is longer and readily visible ( Myoprocta). A prominent nose and whiskers, large eyes, and small ears perch high on the head. These are glossy-furred, big-headed, rabbit-sized rodents with chunky bodies on long delicate legs. In addition to the forest species, there are species in the open savanna-like habitat of the cerrado ( D. The genus Dasyprocta has speciated widely in South America. Of the two genera in the Dasyproctidae, the acouchis are considered to be the more primitive they are smaller, have a longer tail, and exhibit simpler foraging patterns and social structure. Modern caviomorph diversity is but an echo of this. Many attained great size and occupied a number of ecological roles. Caviomorphs probably evolved in Africa, and (along with cebid primates) crossed a then much-narrower Atlantic to South America in the late Eocene, where they diversified greatly.
The family Dasyproctidae belongs to the super-family Caviomorph of the suborder Hystricognathi. Rainforest, secondary forest, scrub, cultivated areas and parks to 6,560 ft (2,000 m)Įndangered: 2 species Lower Risk/Near Threatened: 1 species Vulnerable: 1 species Data Deficient: 3 speciesĬentral and South America Evolution and systematicsįossils are known that date from the Oligocene of South America. Rabbit-sized, large-headed, short-eared, longlegged forest rodent with glossy fur and hind legs conspicuously longer than front legs, giving a "dragster-like" appearance when movingĭasyprocta: Head and body length, 12.6–25.2 in (32–64 cm) tail, 0.4–2.75 in (1–7 cm) weight, 1.3–8.8 lb (0.6–4 kg) Myoprocta: Head and body length, 12.6–14.9 in (32–38 cm) tail, 1.8–2.75 in (4.5–7 cm) weight, 1.3–2.8 lb (0.6–1.3 kg)
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