Agouti

Agouti
Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) in Tulum, Mexico.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Dasyproctidae
Genus: Dasyprocta
Illiger, 1811
Type species
Mus aguti[1]
Linnaeus, 1766
(=Mus leporinus Linnaeus, 1758)
Species

See text

Dasyproctidae distribution. Dasyprocta in red; Myoprocta in blue (darker where ranges overlap)

The agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta. They are native to Mexico, Central America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced elsewhere in the West Indies.

They are related to guinea pigs and look quite similar, but they 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.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ↑ Emmons, L. H. (1997). Neotropical Rainforest Mammals. Pp. 226-230. 2nd edition. ISBN 0-226-20721-8


Other websites

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