Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Rodentiaa
Subordo: Hystricomorpha
Infraordo: Hystricognathi
Parvordo: Caviomorpha
Superfamilia: Cavioidea
Familia: Dasyproctidae
Genus: Dasyprocta
Species (13): D. azarae – D. coibae – D. croconota – D. fuliginosa – D. guamara – D. iacki – D. kalinowskii – D. leporina – D. mexicana – D. prymnolopha – D. punctata – D. ruatanica – D. variegata
Name
Dasyprocta Illiger, 1811: 93
Type species: Mus Aguti Linnaeus, 1766, by subsequent designation.
References
Primary references
Illiger, J.K.W. 1811. Prodromus systematis mammalium et avium additis terminis zoographicis utriusque classis, eorumque versione germanica. C. Salfield: Berolini. xviii + 302 pp. BHL Reference page.
Vernacular names
беларуская: Агуці
brezhoneg: Agouti
català: Agutí
Deutsch: Agutis
English: Common agouti
Esperanto: Agutio
español: Agutíes
eesti: Aguuti
français: Dasyprocta
Avañe'ẽ: Akuti
hrvatski: Aguti
magyar: Agutik
Ido: Agutio
italiano: Aguti
ქართული: აგუტი
қазақша: Агути
한국어: 아구티
lietuvių: Tikrieji agučiai
Nederlands: Agoeti's
polski: Aguti
português: Cutia
Runa Simi: Chiwayru
русский: Агути
svenska: Agutier
Türkçe: Aguti
українська: Агуті
The agouti (/əˈɡuːtiː/, ə-GOO-tee) or common agouti is many of several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta. They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced elsewhere in the West Indies.[1] 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]
The related pacas were formerly included in genus Agouti, but these animals were reclassified in 1998 as genus Cuniculus.[3]
The Spanish term is agutí. In Mexico, the agouti is called the sereque.[4] In Panama, it is known as the ñeque[5] and in eastern Ecuador, as the guatusa.[6]
Red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta leporina)
Etymology
The name "agouti" is derived from either Guarani or Tupi, both South American indigenous languages, in which the name is written variously as agutí, agoutí, acutí,[7] akuti and akuri.[8] The Portuguese term for these animals, cutia, is derived from this original naming.
Description
A Central American agouti in Panama
Agoutis have five toes on their front feet and three toes on their hind feet; the first toe is very small. The tail is very short or nonexistent and hairless. The molar teeth have cylindrical crowns, with several islands and a single lateral fold of enamel. Agoutis may grow to be up to 60 cm (24 in) in length and 4 kg (8.8 lb) in weight. Most species are brown on their backs and whitish or buff on their bellies; the fur may have a glossy appearance and then glimmers in an orange colour. Reports differ as to whether they are diurnal or nocturnal animals.[9]
Behaviour and habits
In the wild, they are shy animals and flee from humans, while in captivity they may become trusting. In Trinidad, they are renowned for being very fast runners, able to keep hunting dogs occupied with chasing them for hours.[10]
Agoutis are found in forested and wooded areas in Central and South America. Their habitats include rainforests, savannas, and cultivated fields. They conceal themselves at night in hollow tree trunks or in burrows among roots. Active and graceful in their movements, their pace is either a kind of trot or a series of springs following one another so rapidly as to look like a gallop. They take readily to water, in which they swim well.
When feeding, agoutis sit on their hind legs and hold food between their forepaws. They may gather in groups of up to 100 to feed.[9] They eat fallen fruit, leaves and roots, although they may sometimes climb trees to eat green fruit.[citation needed] They hoard food in small, buried stores. They sometimes eat the eggs of ground-nesting birds and even shellfish on the seashore. They may cause damage to sugarcane and banana plantations. They are regarded as one of the few species (along with macaws) that can open Brazil nuts without tools, mainly thanks to their strength and exceptionally sharp teeth. In southern Brazil, their main source of energy is the nut of Araucaria angustifolia.
Breeding
Agoutis give birth to litters of two to four young (pups) after a gestation period of three months. Some species have two litters a year in May and October, while others breed year round. The pups are born in burrows lined with leaves, roots and hair. They are well developed at birth and may be up and eating within an hour. Fathers are barred from the nest while the young are very small, but the parents pair bond for the rest of their lives. They can live for as long as 20 years, a remarkably long time for a rodent.[9]
Species
Azara's agouti, Dasyprocta azarae
Coiban agouti, Dasyprocta coibae
Crested agouti, Dasyprocta cristata
Black agouti, Dasyprocta fuliginosa
Orinoco agouti, Dasyprocta guamara
Kalinowski's agouti, Dasyprocta kalinowskii
Red-rumped agouti, Dasyprocta leporina
Mexican agouti, Dasyprocta mexicana
Black-rumped agouti, Dasyprocta prymnolopha
Central American agouti, Dasyprocta punctata
Ruatan Island agouti, Dasyprocta ruatanica
Brown agouti, Dasyprocta variegata (previously lumped with D. punctata)
See also
Paca
Lowland paca
References
Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
Emmons, L. H. (1997). Neotropical Rainforest Mammals. Pp. 226-230. 2nd edition. ISBN 0-226-20721-8
Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Genus Cuniculus". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
"What's in a name? Sereque or agouti, like a rose, still smells the same". Pelican Free Press. 2010-06-30. Archived from the original on 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
"Smithsonian Institution of Tropical Studies".
"Astrocaryum urostachys Burret, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 35: 151 (1934)". Palmweb: Palms of the World Online. Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum. 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
"Agouti". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
Simpson, George Gaylord (February 1941). "Vernacular Names of South American Mammals". Journal of Mammalogy. 22 (1): 6. doi:10.2307/1374677. JSTOR 1374677.
Burton, Maurice; Burton, Robert (1974). The Funk & Wagnalls Wildlife Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York, N.Y.: Funk and Wagnalls. OCLC 20316938.
Mendes, John (1986). Cote ce Cote la: Trinidad & Tobago Dictionary. Arima, Trinidad: Superb Inc. p. 2. ASIN B000EVO8JE.
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