AGOUTI

(Dasyprocta), any of about half a dozen species of tropical American rodents belonging to the family Dasyproctidae (order Rodentia). Agoutis are 40 to 60 centimetres (16 to 24 inches) long. They have long bodies, small ears, vestigial tails, and slender feet with long, hooflike claws. The wiry fur is reddish brown to blackish, with the individual hairs banded in what is called the agouti pattern. Agoutis eat roots, leaves, and fruit, and occasionally damage sugarcane and banana plants. Two to four young are produced, after a gestation period of about three months, in a burrow among boulders or roots on the forest floor. Agoutis are swift, shy animals; their flesh is prized as food by the Indians. The name agouti is also applied to the acouchis (Myoprocta) of South America. Acouchis resemble agoutis, but are smaller and have short, white-tipped tails.