Red-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) lives in tropical rainforest across Central and South America. It feeds on fruits and seeds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Red-rumped Agouti
- Weighing just 3 to 6 kilograms (6.6 to 13.2 lb) and measuring 48 to 64 cm (19 to 25 in) long, the red-rumped agouti. Its compact bulk lets it haul large seeds away from parent trees, a behavior that spreads plant genes across the understory. agoutis help maintain the diversity of the rainforest floor.
- Their diet is a buffet of seeds, pulp, leaves, roots and fruits, and they even turn to insect larvae when plant food runs low. Crucially, they eat and later excrete seeds of trees like Astrocaryum aculeatissimum and Hymenaea courbaril, moving them far from the parent. In the Atlantic Forest, nine out of ten plant species rely on animals to spread their seeds.
- After disappearing from Rio's Tijuca National Park, red-rumped agoutis were re-released in 2009. Today more than 60 individuals roam the forest, including fourth-generation descendants of the original release cohort. Their thriving numbers show that once-missing seed-dispersers can be re-established.
- Native to the rainforests of northeastern South America, from Venezuela and Guyana down to Brazil, plus islands like Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia, the agouti has also been introduced to far-flung locales such as Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Grenada and Dominica.
- Females breed twice each year, producing litters of one to four pups after a gestation of 104 to 120 days. The newborns stay with parents for about 20 weeks before they are weaned.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeCentral and South America
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietFruits and seeds
About the Red-rumped Agouti
In the dappled light of the tropical forest, the red-rumped agouti darts with purpose, its slender legs a blur as it weaves through the underbrush with an air of quiet confidence. With a flick of its distinctive reddish-hued rump, this diminutive rodent navigates the complex tapestry of its native habitat, foraging for seeds and fruits with an unwavering focus. As it moves, the agouti's large, dark eyes seem to drink in every detail of its surroundings, imbuing its every step with a sense of deliberate, unassuming elegance.
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