Dasyproctidae is a family of large South American rodents, comprising the agoutis and acouchis. Their fur is a reddish or dark colour above, with a paler underside. They are herbivorous, often feeding on ripe fruit that falls from trees. They live in burrows, and, like squirrels, will bury some of their food for later use.
The lowland paca, also known as the spotted paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from east-central Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria.
The agouti or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta. They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced elsewhere in the West Indies. They are related to guinea pigs and look quite similar, but they are larger and have longer legs. The species vary considerably in colour, being brown, reddish, dull orange, greyish, or blackish, but typically with lighter underparts. Their bodies are covered with coarse hair, which is raised when alarmed. They weigh 2.4–6 kg (5.3–13.2 lb) and are 40.5–76 cm (15.9–29.9 in) in length, with short, hairless tails.
The brown-eared woolly opossum, also known as the western woolly opossum, is an opossum from South America. It was first described by German naturalist Ignaz von Olfers in 1818. The opossum is characterized by a brown to reddish brown coat and similarly colored limbs, yellow to orange underbelly, hairless, brown ears with a hint of pink, and a tail furred on the back for up to half of its length. The brown-eared woolly opossum is nocturnal, solitary and omnivorous. The IUCN lists it as least concern.
The black agouti is a South American species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae.
The red-rumped agouti, also known as the golden-rumped agouti, orange-rumped agouti or Brazilian agouti, is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae.
Azara's agouti is an agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. Found in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, it is named after Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara. The population is unknown and may have gone locally extinct in some areas due to hunting; it is listed as vulnerable in Argentina.
The black-rumped agouti is an agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. It is endemic to Brazil, and its range roughly equals the Northeast Region. It is named after its black rump which contrasts clearly with the orange body.
The southern Amazon red squirrel, is a squirrel species from South America where it inhabits forests in much of north-western South America east of the Andes. Three subspecies are currently recognised. It is a dark red colour, or a dark brown grizzled with ochre, has whitish underparts and grows to a total length of 48 to 63 cm, including a very long tail. It spends much of its time on the ground in the undergrowth and feeds largely on nuts. Little is known of its breeding habits, but it is a sociable species, several individuals often feeding together in one tree. This squirrel faces no particular threats, has a wide range and is relatively common, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as a "least-concern species".
The golden Oldfield mouse or golden thomasomys is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Both the common and genus name commemorate the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas who worked at the Natural History Museum, London and studied South American rodents.
The tawny-headed swallow is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It is monotypic within the genus Alopochelidon. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, where its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland.
The tawny-breasted myiobius or tawny-breasted flycatcher is a species of passerine bird in the family Tityridae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The Coiban agouti is a species of rodent in the family Dasyproctidae. It is endemic to the island of Coiba (Panama) and resembles the more widespread Central American agouti. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Mexican agouti,, also known as the Mexican black agouti, is 1 of 13 species of rodent in the genus Dasyprocta. This species was first discovered in 1860 in Veracruz, Mexico and described by Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure.
The Ruatan Island agouti, also called the Roatán Island agouti, is a species of agouti in the family Dasyproctidae. It is endemic to the island of Roatán, off the north coast of Honduras.
Alexander's bush squirrel is a species of squirrel native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It is arboreal and lives in tropical moist forests, especially undisturbed mature forests. It is a common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern". Its common name and Latin binomial commemorate Lieutenant Boyd Alexander, a British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist.
Cerradomys scotti, also known as Lindbergh's oryzomys, is a rodent species from South America in the genus Cerradomys. It is terrestrial and is found in the cerrado (savanna) ecozone of south central Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. The species is common and appears to tolerate a degree of agricultural habitat modification.
The brown agouti is a species of agouti in the family Dasyproctidae that is native to portions of central or southeastern Peru, east to western Brazil, south to a strip of Bolivia. It was originally regarded as conspecific with the Central American agouti, but revised as distinct.
