AnimalGlobe: Acouchi

About

The acouchi is a rodent found in the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin of South America. Acouchis are active at day and feed on fallen fruit and seeds. Acouchis are among more than two thousand rodent species. They are diurnal (active during the day).

They are generally smaller than the common agoutis and have a very short tail (5 to 7 cm), while the common agoutis lack a tail. For this reason the acouchies are also called tailed agoutis. They are coloured brown or greenish, but with bright orange or red parts of the head. Often acouchis live in riverbanks, where they dig holes. Like the common agoutis, but unlike the much larger pacas, acouchis are active at day and feed on fruit. In fact, acouchis will often respond to the sound of ripe fruit falling from trees by frenziedly running towards what they hope will be their next tasty meal.

Behavior and food

Acouchis are diurnal (but may become nocturnal when disturbed), cursorily, and solitary. Acouchies depend on their tails to convey their willingness and readiness to mate. Confident, ready males will hold their tails erect and begin to wag them, whereas the more timid, but still aroused, males will wag their tails in a downward position. Females will signal their interest by erecting their tails while simultaneously arching their backs downward. The typical result of all this tail manipulation is a litter of two little acouchies in about three months' time.

Acouchis are herbivores. They eat grass, roots, tender stems, leaves, and fruit. Diet Green acouchis are herbivores that feed on a wide variety of forest fruits, nuts, succulent plants, leaves, stems, and roots.

Habitat

They live in South America to the east of the Andes, in parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and in the Amazon basin in Brazil. They can be found in Tropical forest, thick brush.