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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 .
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.
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 .
They are coloured brown or greenish, but with bright orange or red parts on their heads. Often, acouchis live in riverbanks, where they dig holes. Like the common agoutis, but unlike the much larger pacas, acouchis are active at day and feed on fruit. [5] Acouchis depend on their tails to convey their willingness and readiness to mate.
Red-rumped agoutis weigh about 3 to 6 kilograms (6.6 to 13.2 lb). They are about 48 to 64 cm (19 to 25 in) long. The females are larger than males but otherwise look similar. They are brownish with darker spots on the upper body. The fur becomes more orange as it goes past (going down) the middle area of the animal.
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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]
Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae) is an agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. Found in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, it is named after Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara . The population is unknown and may have gone locally extinct in some areas due to hunting; it is listed as vulnerable in Argentina.