The green acouchi (''Myoprocta pratti'') is a species of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
in the
acouchi
The acouchis (genus ''Myoprocta'') are rodents belonging to the family Dasyproctidae from the Amazon basin. They are generally smaller than agoutis and have very short tails (5 to 7 cm), while agoutis lack tails. For this reason the acouchis ...
genus, part of the family
Dasyproctidae
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 herbivore, herbivorous, often feeding on ripe fruit that falls from tree ...
. It is found in western
Amazonia
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
, west of the Rios
Negro
In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...
and
Madeira
)
, anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira")
, song_type = Regional anthem
, image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
, map_alt=Location of Madeira
, map_caption=Location of Madeira
, subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
, in northwestern
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, northeastern
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, eastern
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
, southeastern
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, and southern
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. There is substantial variation within this range, and the Green Acouchi, as currently recognized, may contain more than one species. Because the application of the
scientific name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''acouchy'', currently in use for the
Red Acouchi, has historically been disputed, the name ''Myoprocta acouchy'' has sometimes been used for this species instead of ''Myoprocta pratti''.
[Voss, R.S., Lunde, D.P. and Simmons, N.B. 2001. Mammals of Paracou, French Guiana: a Neotropical lowland rainforest fauna. Part 2. Nonvolant species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 263:1-236.] The species is named for
Antwerp Edgar Pratt
Antwerp Edgar Pratt FRGS (6 March 1852 - 4 January 1924) was a Victorian naturalist, explorer, author, and renowned collector of plants, insects, and other animals. Species named for Pratt include three mammals and two reptiles. Two of his sons an ...
who was a British naturalist.
Description
An adult green acouchi weighs around ,
and has a short tail.
[ The acouchi is a ]frugivore
A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance an ...
and so is prone to the dental disease caries
Tooth decay, also known as cavities or caries, is the breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria. The cavities may be a number of different colors from yellow to black. Symptoms may include pain and difficulty with eating. Complicatio ...
.[
]
Behavior
Green acouchis are diurnal, surface dwelling rodents and have a complex array of behavior patterns relating to social interaction. In addition, they are food hoarders, employing a scatter hoarding strategy.[
]
Reproduction
Female acouchis have an average oestrus cycle length of around 43 days and have a set breeding season between autumn-spring with a 99-day gestation.[ Females produce small litters of relatively ]precocial
In biology, altricial species are those in which the young are underdeveloped at the time of birth, but with the aid of their parents mature after birth. Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the mome ...
young, mothers produce a 'purring' vocalisation to maintain contact with young.[ Unusually pregnant acouchis do not specifically nest build but will instead choose a preferred nest site for the first week of lactation.][ Mothers can become very aggressive after ]parturition
Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...
and raise their litters in isolation;[ weaning is extended and young remain with the mother for several weeks or months post-weaning to benefit from the mother's protection.][
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q9047564
Green Acouchi
The green acouchi (''Myoprocta pratti'') is a species of rodent in the acouchi genus, part of the family Dasyproctidae. It is found in western Amazon biome, Amazonia, west of the Rios Rio Negro (Amazon), Negro and Madeira River, Madeira, in north ...
Mammals of Colombia
Mammals of Ecuador
Mammals of Peru
Mammals of Brazil
Mammals of Venezuela
Fauna of the Amazon
Mammals described in 1913
Taxa named by R. I. Pocock
cs:Akuči zelený