Azara’s Agouti (Dasyprocta azarae)

Agoutis—there are 13 species—are large rodents that live in South America, Central America, and the West Indies. The Azara’s variety lives in Brazil and neighboring countries. They have long legs and an elegant grace about them. My copy of Living Mammals of the World by Ivan T. Sanderson makes agoutis as a whole sound incredibly unappealing:

“Admittedly, there is nothing much about an Agouti that catches the attention of the public…They are one of the most ‘nervous’ mammals known…Despite their excessive timidity they are terrifyingly violent among themselves, individuals sometimes stamping other members of their family party to death systematically, relentlessly, and with no cause apparent to us…A twenty-foot leap from a sitting start is recorded, and they can jump chasms in a manner that defies understanding.”