agouti

agouti (əg`tē), name applied to rabbit-sized rodents of the genus Dasyprocta, found in Central and South America and in the West Indies. They have slender limbs with five front and three hind toes, rudimentary tails, and coarse rough hair that varies from reddish to dark brown depending upon the species. Agoutis are forest dwellers; they eat fruits, leaves, roots, nuts, and sugarcane. They are good swimmers and fast runners. Agouti is occasionally used instead of Cuniculus as the generic name of the related paca, or spotted cavy. Agoutis are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Dasyproctidae.

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agouti

Agouti (Dasyprocta).

(credit: Warren Garst/Tom Stack & Associates)

Any of several species (genus Dasyprocta) of rabbit-sized rodents that occur in the American tropics (southern Mexico to northern South America). Agoutis are 16–24 in. (40–60 cm) long and have a long body, small ears, either a vestigial tail or none at all, and slender feet with long, hooflike claws. Their wiry fur is reddish brown to blackish, with individual hairs banded in what is called the agouti pattern. Agoutis generally live in forests and eat roots, leaves, and fruit.