Trivia question for Jul-13-2011

Carter picked this hard to pronounce critter, lets see how he does.  These guys are avid harvesters of fallen fruit and seeds, some of which they store for times of future scarcity.

In the wild they are shy animals and flee from humans, while in captivity they may become trusting. In some countries they are renowned for being very fast running and able to keep hunting dogs occupied chasing them for days.

So here are Carter’s questions: Tell us what this species is and where they can be found?  Also, tell us how high they can spring-up from the resting position sitting on its haunches?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to Sven from Hamburg Germany for being the first to identify the rodent we featured in our trivia.  The rodent is called Agoutis.  With a little imagination you can guess the Agoutis’ kinship: These rodents are relatives of the well-known Guinea pigs. But they are larger, more long-legged and more slender. Several species are known. They don’t differ much in size and physique, but in fur color. The best-known species are the Central American agouti, the Black agouti and the Golden agouti

Agoutis inhabit forests of Central and South America. They live in pairs in regular territories. Under natural conditions Agoutis are active during the day, but change to nocturnal activity in regions where they are hunted.  From the resting position they can jump an amazing six-feet straight up in the air.  Here is more on these large rodents: Agoutis

Thanks for playing along 🙂