Central American Agouti

True to its name, the Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) occupies a range from southern Mexico through Central America up to Ecuador, Colombia, and western Venezuela. A second population occurs in parts of Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentinia, but some researchers consider it as a separate species: the so-called Brown Agouti (Dasyprocta variegata). To make things even more complicated, the Central American Agouti has also been introduced to Cuba and the Cayman Islands. The animals are diurnal and live in monogamous pairs. They forage on forest floors in search of fruits, nuts, leaves, roots, and other plant parts – thereby they act as important seed dispersers in the rainforest. I have photographed these little rodents on Isla Barro Colorado in Panama, March 2014.

Central American Agouti

Central American Agouti