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Agoutis: Dasyproctidae

Behavior And Reproduction

The agouti is diurnal, meaning it is most active during the day. Agoutis are fast and agile. Their movements include walking, trotting, galloping, and they can jump up to 6.6 feet (2 meters) from a stationary position. They live mostly on the ground, making nests inside hollow logs or under aboveground tree roots. They also make burrows under stream banks.

Agoutis have a remarkable sense of direction and are able to find nuts or fruits easily, even months after they have buried them. In the wild, the agoutis' main predators are jaguars, ocelots, snakes, birds of prey, cats, dogs, and humans. In the wild, agoutis have a lifespan of thirteen to twenty years.

Agoutis are monogamous (muh-NAH-guh-mus), meaning they mate with only one partner during a period of time, and mate for life. They are able to breed throughout the year but especially when there is an abundance of fruit. Agoutis reach puberty, the age of sexual maturity, at six months. The female agouti has one or two litters per year, each consisting of one to four babies. Her gestation period, the time she carries her young in the womb, is 104 to 120 days.

SOWING THE SEEDS

The agouti is an important component in the health and regeneration of the rainforests. When food is plentiful, they will bury seeds of fruit and other forest trees to eat later when food is scarce. This helps distribute seeds of a wide variety of tropical trees, including Virola nobilis, a giant canopy tree of the rainforest. They often follow groups of monkeys and eat fruit the monkeys drop from trees.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceMammalsAgoutis: Dasyproctidae - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Central American Agouti (dasyprocta Punctata): Species Account - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, AGOUTIS AND PEOPLE, CONSERVATION STATUS