Rainforest Agouti

Genus:…….. Dasyprocta Range:…….. Central America to the southern Amazon Basin Size: Head and body length 50 cm Diet: Seeds, fruit, and other plant material Active: Nocturnal and diurnal

Rainforest Agouti are large rodents related to guinea pigs. Characteristically, they have five toes on their front feet and three on their rear feet. They are hunted for their meat and are skittish of people in the wild. Agoutis are born with a full coat of fur, with eyes open, and are able to run after only a few hours. Despite this, most don’t make it through their first year.

Some species, such as the red agoutis, are day active while others are nocturnal. Some exhibit excellent agility, and the gray agouti is able to jump two metres into the air. They are the only wild animal capable of cracking into Brazil nut pods due to their powerful front teeth.



More Rainforest Animals
Back to Mammals
Uakari
Jaguar
Rainforest Monkeys



Related Pages
1. The Tahuayo Lodge and Primate Research Center
2. Where are rainforests?
3. Manu Nature Tours
4. Tourism in the Amazon Rainforest