Favorite Images of Agoutis

A list of my favorite images of agoutis.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agouti

The term agouti or common agouti designates several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta.

They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced elsewhere in the West Indies.

In Mexico the agouti is called the sereque. In eastern Ecuador it is known as the guatusa.

They are related to guinea pigs and look quite similar but are larger and have longer legs. The species vary considerably in colour being brown, reddish, dull orange, greyish or blackish but typically with lighter underparts. Their bodies are covered with coarse hair which is raised when alarmed.

They weigh 2.4–6 kg (5.3–13.2 lb) and are 40.5–76 cm (15.9–29.9 in) in length, with short, hairless tails.

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 (along with macaws) that can open Brazil nuts without tools, mainly thanks to their strength and exceptionally sharp teeth.

Agoutis give birth to litters of two to four young after a gestation 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 20 years, a remarkably long time for a rodent.