Even though agouti is mostly known as a color variation for various animals there is an actual group of rodents known as agouti.
In fact the agouti gene responsible for this color was named after the rodent.
Brazilian Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina), Szeged Zoo.
Agoutis are rodents that live in South America. There are many species of agouti, the ones in the picture are Brazilian agoutis also known as Red-rumped agoutis. They sort of look like a cross between a rabbit and a guinea pig.
Brazilian agoutis are vegetarian. Apparently some people do keep a Brazilian agouti as a pet.
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Last updated: July 28, 2014