Central American agouti
| Central American agouti | |
|---|---|
| File:Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) Paz de las Aves.jpg | |
| in Ecuador | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Dasyproctidae |
| Genus: | Dasyprocta |
| Species: | D. punctata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dasyprocta punctata J. E. Gray, 1842
| |
| File:Dasyprocta punctata range.svg | |
The Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae.[3] 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),[4] but a major review of the geographic variation is necessary.[3] The Central American agouti has also been introduced to Cuba and the Cayman Islands.[3][5]
Though some populations are reduced due to hunting and deforestation, large populations remain[4] and it is not considered threatened.[1]
In an analysis of 240 species, agoutis came in fourth place for best sense of smell; better than dogs, which actually came out average. Their snouts are packed full of olfactory receptors.[6]
Appearance
[edit | edit source]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.[4][7] 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.[4][7] In western Colombia and Ecuador some have tawny foreparts and yellowish to the rump.[4] 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.[4]
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in Ecuador -
in Guatemala -
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Behavior
[edit | edit source]Like other agoutis, Central American agoutis are diurnal and live in monogamous pairs.[7] They mainly feed on fruits and seeds, and are important seed dispersers.[1]
References
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- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c d e f Emmons, L. H. (1997). Neotropical Rainforest Mammals. Pp. 227–229. 2nd edition. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Long, J. L. (2003). Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History, Distribution and Influence. Csiro Publishing, Collingwood, Australia. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c Reid, F. A. (1997). Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico. Pp. 243–244. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]
- Decker, J. 2000. "Dasyprocta punctata", Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 26, 2008
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