The agouti, a forest-dwelling rodent, is a very important member of
the rainforest community. These animals are active throughout the
day and can often be seen running about on the forest floor,
foraging for fruits and nuts. In fact, it is said that the agouti is
able to hear the sound of ripe fruit falling from distant trees and
that this sound will attract the agouti -- no doubt the agouti come
running in the hopes of feasting on the newly-fallen banquet.
Agoutis have also been known to follow bands of monkeys throughout
the forest, snatching up and feeding on the fruits that the monkeys
drop from the trees.
The agoutis are known as "scatter hoarders." This means that when
food is plentiful, agouti will bury excess nuts and fruits in
various places throughout their home range. Later, when food is
scarce, the agouti return to their cache and dine on the foods that
they stored away. Of course, agoutis do not always remember where
they have stored all of their food. Thus, these forgotten fruits and
nuts may germinate and eventually grow into healthy adult trees
located far away from their parent tree. So, the scatter-hoarding
agoutis play a vital role in the forest by dispersing the seeds of
many different plant species. Without the seed-dispersing activity
of the agouti, many forest trees would never find a suitable place
to take root and flourish.
When they are not foraging, feeding, or storing food, you
may find the agouti defending their territory or ushering in
the next agouti generation. Usually, one male and one female
agouti form a pair bond that lasts for life. This pair will
then defend a territory of 1-2 hectares. Using their anal
scent glands, the pair will mark the boundaries of their
home range. Should an intruder invade their territory, the
agoutis will give warning calls that sound like a dog
barking. If this doesn't work, then they may attack the
intruder.
photos M.
Noonan
The agouti pair will breed throughout the year, but tend to breed
most when fruit is plentiful. When courting, the male agouti will
shower his mate with urine, causing her to go into a "frenzy dance",
after which she allows him to approach her. Around 120 days later,
the female agouti will give birth to a single offspring that she
transfers to a small burrow with an entrance that even she cannot
fit through. This ensures that the tiny baby agouti is safe from
predators. Each morning and evening, the mother agouti will then
call the baby out of its protective burrow to nurse. In time, the
young agouti will grow. Like its parents before it, the agouti will
scatter fruits and nuts throughout the forest floor, thereby
planting the next generation of rainforest trees.
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