Azara's Agouti
Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Dasyprocta azarae
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
up to 20 years
Weight
1-4
2.2-8.8
kglbs
kg lbs 
Length
40-64
15.7-25.2
cminch
cm inch 

Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae ) is a South American agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. Found in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, it is named after Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara. The population is unknown and may have gone locally extinct in some areas due to hunting; it is listed as vulnerable in Argentina.

Appearance

Azara's agoutis are rodents named after Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara. They have a brown back and a whitish belly. The hair is glossy and coarse. These animals have 3 toes on their hind feet and 5 toes on the front feet.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Azara's agoutis are found in South America. They occur in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. They are also common in Eastern Bolivia. These rodents inhabit forest patches within savannahs and lowland Atlantic forests.

Biome

Climate zones

Habits and Lifestyle

Azara's agoutis are active during the day. It's quite difficult to study these animals as they are naturally extremely shy and will flee and hide when humans approach. Their shyness is thought to be related to their solitary lifestyles and maybe because they are heavily preyed upon by many carnivorous species, including humans. However, if bred in captivity, they can become trusting animals. When threatened Azara's agoutis will let out little barks. These animals are sometimes known as "jungle gardeners", as they often bury nuts and seeds and forget where they put them, therefore helping new plants to grow. Azara's agoutis also can swim well and are often seen near water.

Diet and Nutrition

Azara's agoutis are herbivores. They feed on plant material, fruits, seeds and nuts.

Mating Habits

REPRODUCTION SEASON
year-round, with peak in August-September
BABY CARRYING
2-4 pups
BABY NAME
pup

Little is known about the mating system and reproductive behavior of Azara's agoutis. It is known that these animals breed year-round with the peak in August and September. Females give birth to 2-4 pups.

Population

Population threats

The population of this species may have gone locally extinct in some areas due to hunting.

Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources do not provide the Azara's agouti total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Data Deficient (DD) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.

References

1. Azara's Agouti on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azara%27s_agouti
2. Azara's Agouti on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/6278/22198654

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