The humpback hare is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. His other name is "agouti", and in Latin - Dasyprocta. Outwardly similar to guinea pig, but his limbs are much longer. The average weight of this animal is about 4 kg, and the body length is about 0.6 m.
The back of the agouti is convex, rounded, we can say humpback (hence the name). The head is oblong with rounded small ears. The tail is curly. On the hind limbs there are only three long fingers separated, and on the shorter front fingers - four with the anlage of the fifth. The humpback hare has a hard, short, but dense and glossy coat. The color of the back and limbs can be from golden to black, but the stomach is always light. Teeth well developed, especially front teeth. Surprisingly, the upper incisors are red and the lower ones are yellowish.
Agouti live in small herds or in pairs. They settle on forest plains and in dense forests in the lower reaches of the rivers of Guiana, Brazil, Peru and Suriname. As housing, they use burrows between stones along the banks of water bodies, and hollows under the roots are used for temporary stay. In the daytime, the humpback hare prefers to lie down in shelters, leaving them only with complete confidence in safety. Fleeing, can swim some distance, while never diving.
The humpback hare comes out only at sunset, in good weather, he can scour all night long. It feeds on nuts, seeds, juicy fruits, as well as certain herbs that it eats as a whole, right down to the roots. He keeps food like a squirrel with his front paws. All the undernourished is cached. Can climb a tilted tree for a juicy fruit.
Agouti is a harmless animal, like the whole family. Rodents are guarded by many enemies, such as large cats, Brazilian dogs and, of course, humans. The subtlety of smell and agility often save them from death. The animal, being in the thickets, is always on the alert. Sometimes he raises his front paw or rests on his elbows and listens. In case of danger, he is able to develop the highest speed from a place.
The humpback hare is similar in jumping to an antelope. What mode of transportation does he choose? And a gallop, and a lynx, and a slow step are accessible to him. From a place it can jump 6 meters in length and 2 meters in height. With developed sense of smell and hearing
this animal has poor eyesight. It does not sparkle with mental abilities, although it is able to remember the terrain.
Agouti are very prolific. During the rutting season, males fiercely fight for the female, sometimes inflicting serious injuries on each other. At first, she runs away from the winner, but he whistles after her until he reaches his goal.
Pregnant females are found at any time of the year. As a rule, there are two litters per year, in each of which from 1 to 3 cubs. Rabbits are born sighted and large enough. The female feeds her offspring with milk for several weeks. When the cubs grow up, she leads them for some time, teaching them how to find food and protecting them.
Agouti meat is of little value; it can be eaten only as a last resort. The Humpback Hare can cause serious damage to banana and sugarcane plantations. In captivity can live up to 20 years, in the wild - much less.
