Dasyproctidae
Sign in to saveDasyproctidae, from Ancient Greek δασύς (dasús), meaning "hair", and πρωκτός (prōktós), meaning "anus", 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.
Taxonomy · GBIF
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderRodentia
- FamilyDasyproctidae
via GBIF · CC0
Article
3 sectionsContents
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Dasyproctidae, from Ancient Greek δασύς (dasús), meaning "hair", and πρωκτός (prōktós), meaning "anus", 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.
Dasyproctids exist in Central and South America, which are the tropical parts of the New World. The fossil record of this family can be traced back to the Late Oligocene (Deseadan in the SALMA classification).