Agoutis are also known for burying their food in caches for hard times, and they play a major role in seed dispersal as they often forget where many of their caches are. During periods of shortage they will also feed on leaves, animal and plant parts. Makushi Amerindians believe that if a pregnant woman tickles her ears daily with an Agouti whisker this will encourage her to sneeze and in turn lead to a speedy and easy birth.Īgoutis feed mainly on seeds and fruits and are important for dispersing seeds in the forest. Agouti (Photo courtesy of Karanambu Trust/Panthera) In captivity the Agouti is known to live as long as 20 years, however life expectancy in the wild is unknown it is believed that the male’s life expectancy is shorter than the female as they tend to live in more open areas. The young can run within an hour of its birth and this greatly increases its chances of survival. Locally they are more often seen in pairs or solitary, and in Guyana, the species is believed to breed during the rainy season between June and July. The underside is usually orange brown with a strip of white running down the middle.Īgoutis are monogamous and often live in pairs or small family groups consisting of parents and offspring they produce 1 – 3 young after a gestation period of 104 -120 days. The fur is usually olive speckled brown with a patch of orange or red hairs on the rump. The species can weigh as much as 6 kilograms. The forelimbs are shorter than the hind legs and have four toes while the hind feet have three toes. As a prey species this animal has a streamlined body designed for speed with powerfully built hindquarters to provide the speed needed when escaping from predators all carnivores including wild cats, jaguar, harpy eagle and humans will prey on the agouti. The male and female have similar appearance but the female is larger. The agouti can be found in a wide range of habitats including swampy areas, tropical forest, savannahs, scrub forest and people’s gardens and farms. The species is native to South American especially the north Amazon countries. The Red-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta leporine) is locally known as the Akuri in Guyana.
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