Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
In some areas, they have declined drastically due to habitat destruction and hunting.
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Agoutis tame easily and make good pets. They are also extensively hunted for food.
Positive Impacts: food
Diet consists of fruits, vegetables, and various succulent plants.
Primary Diet: herbivore (Frugivore )
Found in Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam, the Amazon Basin of Peru and northern Brazil.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
They are found in forests, thick brush, savannahs and cultivated areas. In Peru, they are confined to the Amazonian region where they are found in all parts of the low selva zone and many parts of the high selva zone. It is found at altitudes of 2000 m or more. Agoutis live in close proximity to water, being found on the banks of all types of streams.
In some areas, they construct burrows among limestone boulders, along river banks or under the roots of trees.
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 18 (high) years.
Head and body length ranges from 415-620 mm. Tail length ranges from 10-35 mm. Fur is coarse and glossy, with the longest and thickest hair located on the posterior part of the back. Fur color ranges from pale orange through several shades of brown to almost black. The underparts are white, yellow or buff colored. The body form is slender, the ears are short, and the hindfoot fas three toes with hooflike claws. Females have four pairs of mammae.
Range mass: 1.300 to 4.000 kg.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
In Venezuela agoutis breed throughout the year. Females have an average estrous cycle of about 34 days, with gestation lasting around 104 to 120 days. They also experience postpartum estrus. Litters are usually made up of one or two young, sometimes three occurs. Newborns are fully furred, have their eyes open and are able to run in their first hour of life. Females lactate for about twenty weeks.
Range number of offspring: 1.000 to 3.000.
Range gestation period: 104 to 120 days.
Range weaning age: 140 (high) days.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Parental Investment: precocial
The black agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa) is a South American species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae.
It is found in the northwestern Amazon in southern Venezuela, eastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, western Brazil and northeastern Peru. There is also a disjunct population in the Magdalena River Valley of northern Colombia.[1] They are found in forests, thick brush, savannas, and cultivated areas. In Peru, they are confined to the Amazonian region where they are found in all parts of the low selva zone and many parts of the high selva zone. It is found at altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) and above. Agoutis live in close proximity to water, being found on the banks of all types of streams.
It is overall black grizzled white, and the throat is white.[2] The black agouti weighs 3.5–6 kg (7.7–13.2 lb).
Like other agoutis, the black agouti is diurnal, lives alone or in pairs, and feeds on fruits and nuts.[2] In some areas, they construct burrows among limestone boulders, along river banks, or under the roots of trees.
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] Furthermore, the gestation period averages 104 days, and females are able to produce two newborns per litter.[3]
The black agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa) is a South American species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae.
