![]() Seed-eaters versus seed size, number, toxicity and dispersal. Frugivory and the importance of seeds in the diet of the orange-rumped agouti ( Dasyprocta leporina) in French Guiana. Seed Dispersal and Frugivory: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation. Seed dispersal of mimetic seeds: parasitism, mutualism, aposematism or exaptation? pp. Dispersal of mimetic seeds of three species of Ormosia (Leguminosae). Seed removal and seed fate in Gustavia superba (Lecythidacea). The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.įorget, P.-M. Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide. Toxicity in fleshy fruits-a non-adaptive trait. The fruits the agouti ate: Hymenaea courbaril seed fate when its disperser is absent. Red-rumped agoutis are able to run within an hour of being born.Asquith, N.The agoutis scientific name, Dasyproctidae, means “fuzzy bum”.The Red-rumped agouti can jump up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) straight up into the air from a standing position.Major threats to the Red-rumped Agouti include over hunting by humans and loss of habitat from deforestation. Food at the ZooĪt Riverview Park and Zoo, the Red-rumped Agouti diet is compromised of various fruits and vegetables, in addition to a specially formulated “guinea pig” pellet. The Agouti acts as a seed dispenser, a decline in the Agouti population could also result in a serious impact to rainforests that grow these magnificent trees. Ecology and conservationĪs the only animal capable of opening the thick husk of a brazil nut, the agouti is at the center of conservation for people who rely on these trees in areas of South America. If threatened, agoutis use a variety of distress calls and postures to ward off predators, including foot stomping, puffing up their hair and grunting. They are also known to follow troops of monkeys for days, taking advantage of any food droppings along the way. They are a diurnal animal, most active during the day, and spend the majority of their time foraging for food throughout the forest underbrush. Young are born with their eyes open and are able to flee a predator within only an hour of their birth. Mating takes place, year round and gestation lasts up to 120 days, with one to four offspring born to a litter. The Red-rumped Agouti is found in large family groups, consisting of a monogamous breeding pair and their offspring. On average, Red-rumped Agoutis can live from 15 to 20 years, both in the wild and captivity. Adult Agoutis range in size from 3 to 5.9 kg (6 to 13 lb) and measure 49 to 64 cm (19 to 25 in) in length with the females being slightly larger. They can even be used to break the notoriously tough husk of the Brazil nut. These incisors are made up of multiple layers of twisted enamel and are among the strongest in the animal kingdom. The Red-rumped Agouti possesses very large front incisors, which grow continuously throughout their lifetime. As their name implies, the Red-rumped Agouti is distinguishable from other member of the same family by its reddish coloured rump and orange to brown coloured underside. They have hoof like claws that allow them to run quickly through the forest floor. Unlike most members of the rodent family, agoutis walk on their toes, rather than flatfooted. Resembling a large guinea pig, Agoutis are covered in long, coarse hairs that expel an oily, and stinky substance used to repel water. The Red-rumped Agouti, a member of the rodent family, is native to the rainforests of Central and South America.
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