Dasyprocta punctata
Central American agouti

Dasyprocta punctata, commonly known as Central American agoutis, is found from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to the Cayman Islands.

Central American agoutis are found in forests, thick brush, savannas, and cultivated areas. In Peru, they are confined to the Amazonian region where they are found in all parts of the low selva rainforest zone and many parts of the high selva zone (altitudes of up to 2,000 meters) (Nowak 1999). Agoutis are closely associated with water and often found along the banks of streams, rivers and lakes. They often build dens and numerous sleeping spots in hollow logs, among limestone boulders, under roots of trees or other vegetation.

The coat ranges from pale orange to several shades of brown or blackish dorsally, and yellowish to white ventrally. The rump is a contrasting color. In some individuals inconspicuous stripes may be present. The fur of the agouti is course yet glossy. The hairs increase in length from the anterior to the posterior part of the body. The body length ranges from 415-620 mm and the tail is 10-35 mm. The weight ranges from 1.3-4.0 kg. The body form of the Central American agouti is slender. They have short ears, and the hind foot has three toes with hoof-like claws (Nowak 1999). Females have four pairs of ventral mammae (Nowak 1999).

There is little information on lifespan in agoutis.

The basic social unit of the agouti is made up of a pair that mate with one another for life. Each pair occupies a territory of approximately 1-2 hectares which contain fruiting trees, and a source of water. When other agoutis enter a claimed territory they are driven off, usually by the male. Territorial defense sometimes includes vicious fighting which results in serious wounds. When behaving aggressively, an agouti sometimes erects the long hairs of its rump, thumps the ground with its hind legs or uses a number of vocalizations, the most common of which sounds like that of the bark of a small dog (Nowak, 1999).

Agoutis are basically diurnal, but shift their activities to night hours if they are hunted or commonly bothered by people. They walk, trot, or gallop on their digits and can jump vertically at least two meters from a standing start (Nowak 1999). They often sit in an erect position, from which they can dart out of at a full speed if necessary. If danger threatens, they pause motionless with one forefoot raised. Agoutis can move with remarkable speed and agility (Nowak 1999).

Agoutis devote considerable time to grooming to remove parasites, ticks and mites. The forefeet are used to rake the hair and draw it within reach of the incisors which are then used as a comb (Smythe 1978). Grooming among pairs occurs on occasion.

Odors play an important role in agouti communication. Both males and females posses anal scent glands used to mark various structures of the environment (Smythe 1978). Agouti also have good vision, hearing, and use tactile communication through grooming.

Agoutis mainly feed on fruits and, on their daily excursions, look for fruit-bearing trees (Grzimek 1990). It has been recorded that agoutis are able to hear fruit falling from trees from far away, and the sound of ripe fruit hitting the ground attracts them (Grzimek 1990). When food is abundant, they carefully bury seeds to use as food when fruit is scarce or not in season. This behavior is important in the dispersal of the seeds of many species of forest trees (Macdonald 1984). Individuals often follow bands of monkeys and pick up fruit dropped from trees (Smythe 1978). Dasyprocta punctata also sometimes browsed and ate crabs, vegetables and other succulent plants (Nowak 1999). Agoutis feed by sitting on their hind legs and holding their food in their forepaws. They then turn the fruit around several times while peeling it with their teeth. If there are any remaining parts of the fruit not eaten at the end of meal time, they are buried.

Agouti are preyed on by medium to large predators throughout their range, including humans. They avoid predation by being alert and agile in dense undergrowth.

Agouti are important prey animals for medium to large predators, such as eagles and jaguars. Agouti are also important in facilitating the regeneration of tropical fruit-bearing trees through their seed caching activities.

There are no negative impacts of agouti on humans.

Agoutis are commonly hunted in their range by humans a a source of food. As mentioned before, D. punctata is thought to contribute largely to seed dispersal of many types of fruiting trees. Agoutis are also easily tamed and make very affectionate pets.

In some areas agouti populations have greatly declined because of both hunting and habitat destruction.

Peccaries and coatis are thought to be the agouti's primary competitors for food with squirrels, opossums, spiny rats, and tapirs also competing but to a lesser extent.

It is important to note that the animals with the common name "agouti" such as the Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) are not the same as those with the scientific name Agouti (family, Agoutidae).