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Agouti

Dasyprocta punctata

Description:

The term (common) agouti designates several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta. They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced elsewhere in the West Indies.[1] They are related to guinea pigs and look quite similar, but are larger and have longer legs.

Habitat:

Agoutis are found in forested and wooded areas in Central and South America. Their habitats include rainforests, savannas and, nowadays, cultivated fields, depending on the species. They conceal themselves at night in hollow tree trunks or in burrows among roots. Active and graceful in their movements, their pace is either a kind of trot or a series of springs following one another so rapidly as to look like a gallop. They take readily to water, in which they swim well.

Notes:

I spotted this guy at the beginning of a trail in the costa rican rain forest

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6 Comments

Maria dB
Maria dB 12 years ago

nice spotting!

Stian Waaler
Stian Waaler 12 years ago

Nice picture!

CindyBinghamKeiser
CindyBinghamKeiser 12 years ago

Thank you for adding the information!

Gerardo Aizpuru
Gerardo Aizpuru 12 years ago

Beautiful shot:)
Love this guys

CindyBinghamKeiser
CindyBinghamKeiser 12 years ago

Beautiful! I don't know this mammal. Do you have info on it?

alicelongmartin
alicelongmartin 12 years ago

Perfect picture, just wish there was a little information.

TheChemist
Spotted by
TheChemist

Alajuela, Costa Rica

Spotted on Apr 29, 2012
Submitted on May 9, 2012

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