Dasyprocta ruatanica
Ruatan Island agouti

Dasyprocta ruatanica is endemic to Roatán Island, which is approximately 48 kilometers off the coast of Honduras. A population occurs on Fantasy Island, which is about 30 meters off the middle south shore of Roatán Island. Roatán Island is a fault block, so it is unlikely that this species populated the island via land bridge. The original human inhabitants of the island, Payans, used agoutis as a food source, so this species was probably either there before the natives or brought with them. (Cox et al., 2005; Jacobson, 1992; Lee et al., 2000)

Dasyprocta ruatanica is found in brushy, tropical scrub forests. Because of human development, most of the scrub forest that still exists on Roatán Island is on mountains. The highest point on Roatán Island is about 274 meters (900 feet) above sea level. On Fantasy Island, D. ruatanica is common on a tree-covered hill. Among the tree species present are Casuarina equisetifolia, Cocos nucifera, Pentaclethra, Swietenia, and Thrinax. Dasyprocta ruatanica utilizes patches of bamboo for sleeping. On Fantasy Island, D. ruatanica can also be found using the space under hotel buildings. (Lee, Hartline, and Barnes, 2006)

Roatán Island agoutis, as well as other agoutis, look like large, long-legged guinea pigs. The head and body of an adult can be from 32 to 64 cm (12.6 to 25.2 in) long and weight between 0.6 and 4 kg (1.3 to 8.8 lb). They are smaller than closely related Central American agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata). The ears are naked and the tail is very short. Agoutis have 5 toes on their front feet and 3 on the hind feet. They have a digitigrade foot posture. The fur is orange-brown and hairs are annulated to the root. The ventral surface is like the back, but slightly more olive-colored. There is a white spot on the chin and a yellow patch in the middle of the belly. The body color darkens along the limbs to a dark brown color on the feet. ("Roatán Island agouti", 2005; Lee et al., 2000; Lee, Hartline, and Barnes, 2006; Thomas, 1901)

The only lifespan information available for Dasyprocta ruatanica is that individuals have reached the age of 13.7 years in captivity. (Weigl and Jones, 2005)

Roatán Island agoutis are not known to be territorial, though their close relative, Central American agoutis, have been known to scent mark trails, feeding, and sleeping spots. Agoutis are mostly diurnal. In an observation of the Fantasty Island population of Roatán Island agoutis, individuals were observed to spend an average of 23.1% of their time sitting and 22.0% feeding. Behaviors such as walking, sniffing, and digging were classified as “looking for food” and such behaviors occupied 29.2% of their time. In this case, digging is classified as looking for food because the animals seem to be burying seeds for storage. Marking took up 2.2% of the time. ("Roatán Island agouti", 2005; Lee et al., 2000; Lee, Hartline, and Barnes, 2006; Smythe, 1978)

Home Range

There is no information on home range sizes in Roatán Island agoutis.

One social interactive behavior that has been observed in Roatán Island agoutis is muzzling. Another is fleeing with rump hairs erected, which is classified as a conflict behavior. Odor, thumping, and vocalizations are also important forms of communication in Central American agoutis, which can reasonably be inferred as important to D. ruatanica as well. (Lee et al., 2000; Smythe, 1978)

Roatan Island agoutis are mostly frugivorous. Foods on Fantasy island include coconuts (Cocos nucifera), hibiscus flowers, almonds (Terminalia sp.) and Pentaclethre pods. They have also been observed feeding on rice, oranges, and corn kernels intended for domestic fowl. Like other agouti species, they dig holes for caching food. (Lee et al., 2000; Lee, Hartline, and Barnes, 2006)

On Fantasy Island there are no native carnivores. On Roatán Island humans are known to hunt agoutis for food. Unlike Central American agoutis, Roatán Island agoutis have not been observed digging burrows. Smythe (1983) suggested that in Central American agoutis, holes were dug as a method of predator avoidance. Lack of holes suggests that there are no natural predators for Roatán Island agoutis. However, these agoutis do raise their rump hairs when fleeing a threat, which may be a defense against being bitten by predators or conspecifics. (Lee et al., 2000)

Agoutis in general seem to be important in the dispersal of plant seeds through the habit of scatterhoarding, which is the practice of caching food in scattered ground surface caches. (Smythe, 1978)

Other than using some of the foods put out for domestic fowl, there are no known negative impacts on humans. (Lee et al., 2000)

Based on studies of Dasyprocta punctata and Dasyprocta mexicana, it has been suggested that D. ruatanica and other agoutis could be bred in captivity as a food source for humans. It has also been suggested that agoutis may be an ecotourist attraction. ("Roatán Island agouti", 2005; Jori, 2001)

Roatán Island agoutis are classified as Endangered by IUCN due to its small range, ongoing habitat loss, habitat degradation, and hunting. Roatán Island agoutis occur in two protected areas, but hunting still occurs on Roatán Island. (Schipper et al., 2008)