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Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata |
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| Class |
Mammalia |
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| Order |
Rodentia |
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| Distribution |
From southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
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| Habitat |
Forests and savannas. |
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| Behaviour |
Agoutis are basically active during the day, but shift their activities to night hours if they are disturbed. They mainly feed on fruits and it is said that they can hear fruit dropping from trees far away. Sitting erect on their hind legs, they feed by holding the food in their forepaws. When food is abundant, they bury seeds as food for the off season. A litter normally contains two young. Offspring become separated from the mother because of parental aggression upon the arrival of a new litter usually after 20 weeks. Territorial defence involves fighting which sometimes results in serious wounds. When behaving aggressively, an agouti may erect the long hairs of its rump, thump the ground with its hind legs or make sound like the bark of a small dog. |
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| Diet |
Mainly feed on fruits. |
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