Central American agouti

The Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae.[2] The main portion of its range is from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula (southern Mexico), through Central America, to northwestern Ecuador, Colombia and far western Venezuela. A highly disjunct population is found in southeastern Peru, far southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, western Paraguay and far northwestern Argentina. The disjunct population has been treated as a separate species, the brown agouti (Dasyprocta variegata),[3] but a major review of the geographic variation is necessary.[2] The Central American agouti has also been introduced to Cuba, Bahamas, Jamaica, Hispaniola and the Cayman Islands.[2][4]

Central American agouti
Gamboa, Panama

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Dasyproctidae
Genus: Dasyprocta
Species:
D. punctata
Binomial name
Dasyprocta punctata
(Gray, 1842)

Though some populations are reduced due to hunting and deforestation, large populations remain[3] and it is not considered threatened.[1]

Appearance

Central American agoutis from the main part of their range weigh 3–4.2 kg (6.6–9.3 lb) and are typically reddish, orange or yellowish grizzled with black.[3][5] In northern Colombia, western Venezuela, and on the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica and Panama the foreparts are brownish or blackish grizzled with tawny or olivaceous, the mid-body is orange, and the rump is black or cream.[3][5] In western Colombia and Ecuador some have tawny foreparts and yellowish to the rump.[3] Agoutis from the disjunct southern population (Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina) which sometimes are treated as a separate species, Dasyprocta variegata, weigh 3–5.2 kg (6.6–11.5 lb) and are grizzled brown, yellowish and black, or grizzled black and orange.[3]

Behavior

Like other agoutis, Central American agoutis are diurnal and live in monogamous pairs.[5] They mainly feed on fruits and seeds, and are important seed dispersers.[1]

References
  1. Less, E.; Ojeda, R.; Bidau, C.; Timm, T.; Samudio, R. & Emmons, L. (2008). "Dasyprocta punctata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Infraorder Hystricognathi". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1558. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. Emmons, L. H. (1997). Neotropical Rainforest Mammals. Pp. 227-229. 2nd edition. ISBN 0-226-20721-8
  4. Long, J. L. (2003). Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History, Distribution and Influence. Csiro Publishing, Collingwood, Australia. ISBN 9780643099166
  5. Reid, F. A. (1997). Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico. Pp. 243-244. ISBN 0-19-506400-3
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