Hey, Capybara! You've got some tough new competition for cutest rodent in all the land! Enter the red-rumped agouti, a total cutie, down to its booty! Here's a description of the cutie patootie, by the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute:
Red-rumped agoutis have coarse, glossy fur that is typically greenish-brown in color. Their rumps are orange to red, and their undersides are orange-brown with a white stripe running down the center. Red-rumped agoutis have four toes on their front feet, but only three on their hind feet. Their ears are small and round.
I also learned from the National Zoo that agoutis, native to Central and South America, communicate by squealing, grunting, and screaming (totally relatable, dear agouti!), and they are "crepuscular," meaning that they are a twilight kind of animal, foraging in the morning and eating in the evening. They live in small family groups and pair bond for life, they sleep in burrows underground, and males court potential mates by spraying them with urine. Good times!
They are also excellent swimmers, can jump up to six feet, and are the only animal that can crack open a Brazil nut, which helps disperse seeds and plays an integral role in the rainforest ecosystem.
Some have described them as a "cross between a capybara and a guinea pig," or "kind of like a kangaroo mixed with a bunny," or a "weird-looking squirrel." I think this is my favorite description, though: "capybara lite."
After watching some videos of agoutis, I'm a huge fan. I love their giant eyes, big booties, and tiny paws–and I can't get enough of their absolutely adorable big ol' rat snouts! I could watch them crunching and munching for hours, holding their snacks in their little hands, shoving food into their precious rat faces. I am still loyal to king capybara, of course, but I can love more than one rodent, right?
Previously:
• Jimmy Fallon feeds corn to a capybara
• Of course there is a capybara café in Tokyo
