Brazilian Agouti

Brazilian Agouti
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Dasyproctidae
Genus:	Dasyprocta
Species:	D. leporina
Binomial name
Dasyprocta leporina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Geographic range

The Brazilian Agouti, Dasyprocta leporina, is a South American agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae.

It is found in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Trinidad & Tobago and Brazil. It has also been introduced to the Lesser Antilles. In Brazil the name for this rodent is "cutia" [kuˈtʃiɐ].

The Brazilian Agouti is also called the "red-rumped", "orange-rumped", or the "golden-rumped" agouti. It lives in a wide varietiy of habitats with water, dense plant growth, which may include gardens and on crop fields. It is often found in the rainforests, or other forests of Brazil and northward. They usually have territories of about 30000m² to 85000m².

Description

Brazilian Agoutis, or Dasyprocta leporina, weigh about 3 to 6 kilograms (6.6 to 13 lb). They are about 19 to 25 inches (48 to 63 cm) long. In this species 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. The ears are somewhat square in shape. The front feet have 4 toes and the back have 3. They can be distinguished from other agoutis by their distinct coloring.

These animals have no distinct breeding season, and females generally have about 1 to 3 young. The Brazilian Agouti’s gestation period is 104 to 120 days. On average, it takes 20 weeks for the young to be weaned. They live in pairs or family groups of the parents and little ones. They need large areas for food, breeding, and territory. It is hard to keep the animal in captivity for that reason. Most animals in the family Dasyproctidae mate once or twice, and this is presumed to be true for this species as well. This species lives 15-20 yrs in captivity.

References

1. ^ Emmons, L. & Reid, F. (2008). Dasyprocta leporina. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 5 January 2009.

• John F. Eisenberg and Kent H. Redford, 2000. Mammals of Neotropics: Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil.
• Bricklin, R. and P. Myers. 2004. "Dasyprocta leporina" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 12, 2006 at [1]

External links

• Media related to Brazilian Agouti at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Brazilian Agouti at Wikispecies