The agouti is often described as a large, long-legged guinea pig. Found in central and south America, this creature is nocturnal, spending the day burrowed with its family and its nights scrounging for food.
The agouti's diet is vegetarian, and it will eat mainly fruit and leaves, often burying some for later. But however cute this creature may look, don't upset it- it is very jumpy and will attack if startled or threatened.
The agouti is so jumpy that if it is scared enough, it will do anything to get away- including leading its fellow agoutis off of a cliff to their death. The agouti's mating season is in May and October. After a three month gestation period, a female will give birth to 2-3 babies. There are usually two litters per year. After the babies are born, the father is not permitted to come near the nest. Agoutis use their speed to escape the enemy, not their stealth. They can make a fast getaway, and without barely any effort can jump 20 feet away.
Agoutis are not very big- the biggest is only around 9 inches tall, and weighs only 30 pounds.
No comments:
Post a Comment