About Dasyprocta punctata Gray, 1842
Taxonomy
The Central American agouti, with the scientific name Dasyprocta punctata Gray, 1842, is an agouti species belonging to the family Dasyproctidae.
Native Range
Most of its native range extends from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula in southern Mexico, through Central America, to northwestern Ecuador, Colombia, and far western Venezuela.
Disjunct Population Distribution
A highly separate, disjunct population occurs in southeastern Peru, far southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, western Paraguay, and far northwestern Argentina.
Disjunct Population Taxonomic Status
This disjunct population has previously been classified as a separate species called the brown agouti (Dasyprocta variegata), but a comprehensive review of this species' geographic variation is still needed.
Introduced Range
The Central American agouti has also been introduced to Cuba and the Cayman Islands.
Conservation Status
While some of its populations have declined due to hunting and deforestation, large intact populations still exist, so the species is not considered threatened.
Olfactory Ability Ranking
In an analysis that included 240 species, agoutis ranked fourth for having the best sense of smell, performing better than dogs, which actually ranked as average.
Olfactory Anatomy
Agoutis have snouts densely packed with olfactory receptors.
