Azara’s Agouti (Dasyprocta Azarae)

Conservation Status: Data Deficient*
Lifespan: 2-4 years in the wild, up to 20 years in captivity

Origin: South America - Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Eastern Bolivia

Habitat: Montane and lowland forests, dry cerrado (savannah and scrubland) and the Gran Chaco

Diet: Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, roots and leaves. If food is scarce they will occasionally eat insect larvae

Predators: Cats (mainly leopards, pumas and ocelots), coatimundi, snakes, large birds of prey and humans

Size: 49 - 64cm (head to tail)

Weight: 2 - 3kg

Activity Cycle (?): Diurnal

Adaptations & Behaviour

Azara’s agoutis are a type of South American rodent that are generally solitary, using a combination of vocalisations and scent marking (with urine) to establish their territory or attract a mate. They will use hollowed out trees or burrows to build their nests.

They walk, trot and gallop on their digits, with five toes on their front feet but only three toes on their back feet. They eat sitting up on their hind legs, holding food in their front limbs.

Agoutis spend much of their day hiding from predators, so have evolved defensive strategies to evade predation. If a predator approaches they will likely freeze, make an alarm call (a soft bark) or raise the long hairs on their rump to scare away the enemy. If these tactics fail, they can also jump up to 2 metres vertically (from standing position!), spin around, land and dash off swiftly in the opposite direction to evade capture.

Reproduction

Azara’s agoutis considered somewhat monogamous, a male and female will pair for life, but they will only come together during breeding season, outside of this they live separate lives. Some species of agouti have two litters in a year in May and October, but it is thought that Azara’s agoutis breed all year round. After a gestation period of 90 days, the female gives birth to 1-4 pups in a burrow lined with roots, leaves and hair, which the father assists with in building. The pups are precocial, meaning that they are born with their eyes open, fully furred and able to run within a few hours after birth. When they are exactly weaned is not known, though in other species of agouti pups are weaned by 160 days old. Azara agoutis normally hit sexual maturity between 6 and 12 months of age. During this period, the young agoutis will usually stay in close proximity to their mother for some time, learning survival skills like foraging and burrowing. However, once they reach full independence they will disperse and establish their own territories.

Did You Know?

• They are excellent swimmers and can often be found near water. They use their swimming abilities to escape threats and find new areas to forage
• They are closely related to porcupines, rats, beavers and guinea pigs
• Agoutis are thought to be the only mammal that can open a brazil nut, thanks to their exceptionally sharp teeth!
• Like all rodents, they have prominently large incisors which are open rooted, meaning they grow continuously throughout their lives
• Azara’s agoutis often bury nuts and seed to come back to later on, only to forget where they are, thus helping new plants grow - this has resulted in them sometimes being referred to as ‘jungle gardeners’
• *Due to their elusive nature, they are extremely hard to study so there is not enough scientific information available currently to classify them properly. However, they are thought to be at risk, with their main threats being habitat destruction and hunting, which may mean they have gone locally extinct in some areas.