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The agouti (/ ə ˈ ɡ uː t iː / ⓘ, ə-GOO-tee) or common agouti is many of several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta. They are native to Central America , northern and central South America , and the southern Lesser Antilles .
The Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae. [2] The main portion of its range is from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula (southern Mexico ), through Central America , to northwestern Ecuador , Colombia and far western Venezuela .
The female black agouti is capable of breeding year-round. Also, they are considered to be seasonally polyestrous, meaning the females can go through more than one period of estrus in a single year. [3] One estrus period can last for 24 hours while the estrous cycle can last between 30 and 34 days. [3]
An agouti dog, also called wolf sable. In dogs, the agouti gene is associated with various coat colors and patterns. [10]The alleles at the A locus are related to the production of agouti-signaling protein (ASIP) and determine whether an animal expresses an agouti appearance and, by controlling the distribution of pigment in individual hairs, what type of agouti.
Dasyproctidae is a family of large South American rodents, comprising the agoutis and acouchis. [1] Their fur is a reddish or dark colour above, with a paler underside. They are herbivorous, often feeding on ripe fruit that falls from trees.
A cat hair showing agouti coloration A domestic rabbit with agouti coloration. Agouti is a type of fur coloration in which each hair displays two or more bands of pigmentation. [1] [2] The overall appearance of agouti fur is usually gray or dull brown, [3] although dull yellow is also possible.
Agouti-signaling protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ASIP gene. [5] [6] It is responsible for the distribution of melanin pigment in mammals.[7] [8] Agouti interacts with the melanocortin 1 receptor to determine whether the melanocyte (pigment cell) produces phaeomelanin (a red to yellow pigment), or eumelanin (a brown to black pigment). [9]
Agouti-related protein (AgRP), also called agouti-related peptide, is a neuropeptide produced in the brain by the AgRP/NPY neuron. It is synthesized in neuropeptide Y (NPY)-containing cell bodies located in the ventromedial part of the arcuate nucleus in the hypothalamus. [ 5 ]