Brazilian Agouti

Dasyprocta Leporina

Scientific Name

Brazilian Agouti:  
Dasyprocta Leporina

Distribution and Habitat

Geographic Range

The agouti appears in Venezuela, Eastern Brazil and the Lesser Antilles.

Natural Habitat

This mammal may be found in the forest, savanna, thick brush and in some cultivated areas.

Physical Characteristics

  • Possessing a coarse glossy coat, the agouti is pale orange to several shades of brown to almost black in color. Its underbelly is white or yellow. The agouti’s body is slender and its ears are short and pinkish. The hind feet of an agouti have three toes with hoof-like claws.

Quick Facts

  1. The agouti is shy and high-strung. They will fight fiercely among themselves when challenged but will flee in panic at the first sense of alarm. They become so panicked that they have been known to jump off of cliffs.

  2. Humans hunt agoutis as a source of food and to keep them away from crops.

  3. Many agoutis have adapted to a nocturnal lifestyle in areas where they are hunted by humans.

Exhibit

EcoStation

Conservation Status

Least Concern: The Brazilian Agouti is common or abundant and is likely to survive in the wild.

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Diet

Herbivore

In the wild, the agouti will browse on leaves, fallen fruit and roots. They will occasionally climb trees to eat green fruit. In human care they are fed miscellaneous fruits and vegetables.