Mary Allen
Agoutis look like a large, long-legged guinea pig. The South American rodents can run very fast and are strictly herbivores.
Characteristics
What do agoutis look like?
Agoutis belong to the order Rodents and there to the suborder of the guinea pig-like, where they form a separate family. Their body is similar to that of a guinea pig, but they have long, thin legs that allow them to run very fast.
The hind legs are significantly longer than the front legs and have four toes, the front legs only three. The toes end in hoof-like claws. Their fur is brown to reddish on the back, while white to yellowish on the belly. The large head has small, round ears and large eyes.
Agoutis grow quite large: They measure 42 to 62 centimeters from nose to bottom and weigh between one and a half and four kilograms. Their tail is just a small stub of one to four centimeters.
Where do agoutis live?
Agoutis are only found in South America. They occur from southern Mexico to northern Argentina to southern Brazil and Paraguay.
Agoutis are very adaptable and therefore populate many different habitats. They are found in moist lowland forests, dense scrubland, savannas, on grassy river banks and on mountain slopes as well as in fields and plantations.
What types of agouti are there?
There are two genera in the agoutis family. The genus of stub-tailed agoutis includes, for example, the golden agouti. It is most commonly seen in our zoos. Another type is the Azara agouti. The agouti, for example, belongs to the genus of tailed agoutis. Scientists are not yet sure if there are 11 or 13 different agouti species in total.
How old do agoutis get?
Agoutis can live for a maximum of 20 years.
Behave
How do agoutis live?
Agutis are diurnal animals. In densely populated areas, however, they only start looking for food at dusk so as not to be disturbed by people. They are shy animals. Agoutis are bottom dwellers. They can run very fast. If they feel threatened, they will even gallop away.
Because they always use the same paths from their hiding places to their pastures, there are even real agouti trails. Dense bushes, hollow tree trunks, and burrows in the ground, which they dig themselves, serve as hiding places. Agoutis live either alone or in pairs.
They have a solid territory, which they fiercely defend against foreign conspecifics. If they want to threaten another agouti, they raise their back hair and make noises reminiscent of a dog barking.
Friends and foes of the agoutis
Jaguars, ocelots, and many other predators are among the agoutis’ enemies. In some regions, they are also hunted by humans.
How do agoutis reproduce?
Agoutis can mate all year round. They have a very special mating ritual: the male splashes urine on the female, after which the female begins to dance. This is repeated several times, eventually, mating occurs. After 100 to 120 days one to two, rarely three young are born. They already have fur and are precocial, meaning they can walk an hour after birth.
After about five months they are weaned and become independent. They become sexually mature at the age of six months. If the female becomes pregnant again, she separates from the young. Male offspring are often driven out by their fathers beforehand and have to find their own territory.
Care
What do agoutis eat?
Agutis are herbivores. They feed on leaves, stems, roots, but mainly on fruits and nuts. They are constantly roaming their territory, looking for trees that are just bearing ripe fruit.
Because they have very good hearing, they hear fruit falling on the ground and follow the sound. Agoutis can even eat the extremely hard Brazil nuts. Up to 20 of these nuts are in a very hard shell, the so-called cocoa. Agoutis can chew the shells open.
They often carry away the Brazil nuts and bury them to stock up on bad times. When eating, they sit on their hind legs and hold their food with their front paws.
Attitude of agoutis
Agoutis are also sometimes kept in captivity. Although they are very shy in nature, they can then become quite tame and get used to their keepers.