agouti

agouti
/euh gooh"tee/, n., pl. agoutis, agouties.
1. any of several short-haired, short-eared, rabbitlike rodents of the genus Dasyprocta, of South and Central America and the West Indies, destructive to sugar cane.
2. an irregularly barred pattern of the fur of certain rodents.
3. an animal having fur of this pattern.
[1725-35; < F < Sp agutí < Tupian agutí, agoutí, acutí]

* * *

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.

Agouti (Dasyprocta).

Warren Garst/Tom Stack & Associates

* * *

rodent
 any of about a dozen species of tropical American rodents (rodent) resembling the small forest-dwelling hoofed animals of tropical Africa and Asia (see chevrotain; duiker; royal antelope). Agoutis weigh up to 6 kg (13 pounds), with an elongated body measuring up to 76 cm (2.5 feet) long. They have a large head and rump but slender legs, comparatively small ears, and a tiny, inconspicuous, bald tail. The hind feet have only three toes and hooflike claws. The agouti's coarse, glossy fur ranges from pale orange through shades of brown to blackish, with individual hairs having alternating black and buff bands referred to as an agouti pattern. Coloration of the underparts ranges from whitish to buff.

      Agoutis are generally wary, and most species are difficult to see or approach in their native habitats. They walk, trot, or gallop on their digits, traveling swiftly when pursued or threatened, and are capable of leaping vertically to 2 metres (6.5 feet) from a standing position. Agoutis are terrestrial, denning at night in burrows (burrowing) among boulders, tree roots, hollow logs, or brushy tangles on the forest floor. Although litters of up to four young have been recorded, two is usual. The agouti's diet consists primarily of fruit, nuts, and seeds, but some species also eat fungi, flowers, leaves, and insects. They bury nuts in the ground for times when food becomes scarce, and, as a result, agoutis are one of the most important mammalian seed dispersers for many species of tropical trees (see Sidebar: ).

      All agouti species are intensively hunted because their flesh is prized as food by indigenous peoples. Agoutis are found from southern Mexico southward to Ecuador and east of the Andes throughout the Amazon River basin. Although most agouti species live in lowland and montane tropical rainforests, Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae) also inhabits the drier cerrado (savanna and scrub) and chaco (Gran Chaco) environments south of the Amazon basin into Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. Three different agoutis have been introduced into the West Indies, presumably by native Caribbean tribes: D. mexicana in Cuba, D. punctata in Cuba and the Cayman Islands, and D. leporina in the Virgin Islands and the Lesser Antilles.

      Agoutis are closely related to acouchys (acouchy) (genus Myoprocta); both are members of the family Dasyproctidae, although some specialists classify dasyproctids as a subfamily (Dasyproctinae) of the family Agoutidae, which also includes pacas (paca). In either case, agoutis are members of the suborder Hystricognatha within the order Rodentia (rodent).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • agouti — [ aguti ] n. m. • 1758; agoutin 1556; var. acouti, acoutyXVII e; tupi guarani acouti ♦ Petit mammifère (rongeurs) des Antilles et de l Amérique du Sud, de la taille d un lièvre. ● agouti nom masculin (mot guarani) Petit rongeur d Amérique latine …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Agouti — refers to a number of species of rodents as well as a number of genes affecting coat coloration in several different animals.*When referring to a rodent, agouti can mean: ** The common agoutis (genus Dasyprocta ) are those popularly called… …   Wikipedia

  • Agouti — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda ? Pacas Rango fósil: Recent Agouti paca …   Wikipedia Español

  • Agouti — A*gou ti, Agouty A*gou ty ([.a]*g[=oo] t[i^]), n. [F. agouti, acouti, Sp. aguti, fr. native name.] (Zo[ o]l.) 1. A rodent of the genus {Dasyprocta}, about the size of a rabbit, peculiar to South America and the West Indies. The most common… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • agouti — agouti. См. агути. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • agouti — n. pl. agouties [ə go͞ot′ē] n. agoutis [Fr (? via Sp agutí) < Tupí Guaraní akutí] a rabbit sized, nocturnal rodent (family Dasyproctidae) with grizzled fur, found in tropical America: also sp. agouty n. agouties …   English World dictionary

  • Agouti —  Pour l’article homonyme, voir gène agouti.  Nom vernaculaire ou nom normalisé ambigu : Le terme « Agouti » s applique en français à plusieurs taxons distincts …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Agouti — Wildfarbenes Kaninchen Schwarze Ratte …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • agouti — Wildfarbenes Kaninchen Agouti Farbratte …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • agouti — Central American rodent that has given its name to a grey flecked coat coloration in mice caused by alternate light and dark bands on individual hairs. The gene codes for a 131 residue secreted protein that regulates phaeomelanin synthesis in… …   Dictionary of molecular biology

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”