After spending yesterday studying the amazing Red Panda with their confusing past and uncertain future, I thought it would be a good idea to learn about an animal that is a little less confusing. So grab your coffee and purchase a ticket for Central America as we are going to discover the Agouti. Okay, I guess you could also buy a plane ticket for the West Indies as this rodent was introduced to this area quite awhile ago. If anyone knows why or how they were introduced to the West Indies, I would love it if you could comment below. While we ponder the reason they were introduced into the West Indies, let’s find out more about this little creature.

No Need to Flee

As mentioned the Agouti is a rodent that resembles their cousin, the Guinea Pig, but the Agouti tends to have longer legs and a larger body, overall. Nonetheless, both of these animals are cute and I am sure would make a great companion. Okay, maybe the Agouti would be tough to be-friend in the wild as they are pretty shy and try their hardest to stay away from humans, however, in captivity these little fur-balls will build up trust towards their captors (probably since they are providing them with food). If their instincts are to flee from humans…perhaps we should leave them in the wild where they can just be themselves, right?

Ideal Feeding Posture

So what else to these little animals get up to in the wild? Well, they are pretty much the same as any other rodent. They look for food throughout their forested habitat, which includes areas such as the Rainforest, savannahs and as a result of human development, agricultural fields. The food they are looking for throughout their habitat includes fruit, leaves and of course, tasty roots. Watching the Agouti feed will most likely melt your heart as this little fluff ball will sit on their hind legs holding a tiny piece of fruit in their front feet while they nibble on it. No wonder people want to capture this rodent…they are just too adorable.

Agouti Fast Fact

The Aguoti is one of the only animals that are able to open the incredibly hard Brazil Nuts, without the use of tools. How do they do this? They use the power of thoughts to crack the hard shell. Okay, that isn’t true… they actually use their incredibly strong and sharp teeth to puncture the shell of the tasty nut. Knowing this, I would be careful not to put your fingers anywhere near their mouth! They may be cute and cuddly but the Agouti definitely has a nasty bite.