Agoutis have five toes on their front feet and three toes on their hind feet; the first toe is very small. The tail is very short or nonexistent and hairless. The
molar teeth have cylindrical crowns, with several islands and a single lateral fold of
enamel. Agoutis may grow to be up to in length and in weight. Most species are brown on their backs and whitish or buff on their bellies; the fur may have a glossy appearance and then glimmers in an orange colour. Reports differ as to whether they are
diurnal or
nocturnal animals.
Behaviour and habits In the wild, they are shy animals and flee from humans, while in captivity they may become trusting. In
Trinidad, they are renowned for being very fast runners, able to keep hunting dogs occupied with chasing them for hours. Agoutis are found in forested and wooded areas in Central and South America. Their habitats include
rainforests,
savannas, and cultivated fields. They conceal themselves at night in hollow tree trunks or in burrows among roots. Active and graceful in their movements, their pace is either a kind of trot or a series of springs following one another so rapidly as to look like a gallop. They take readily to water, in which they swim well. When feeding, agoutis sit on their hind legs and hold food between their forepaws. They may gather in groups of up to 100 to feed. They eat fallen fruit, leaves and roots, although they may sometimes climb trees to eat green fruit. They hoard food in small, buried stores. They sometimes eat the eggs of ground-nesting birds and even shellfish on the seashore. They may cause damage to
sugarcane and
banana plantations. They are regarded as one of the few species (along with
macaws) that can open
Brazil nuts without tools, mainly thanks to their strength and exceptionally sharp teeth. In southern Brazil, their main source of energy is the nut of
Araucaria angustifolia. ==Breeding==