Guatemala : flora and fauna |
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Guatemala is a small country which is home to 19 different ecosystems, ranging from the mangrove forests on both Pacific and Caribbean coasts to the pine forests of the mountainous interior, to the cloud forests at higher altitudes and to the sub tropical jungle at lower altitudes. These ecosystems include 250 species of mammals, 600 species of birds and 200 species of reptiles and amphibians, many species of butterflies and other insects... and more than 8,000 species of plants !
Here are some examples of this diversity.
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The popular term (common) agouti designates several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta that inhabit areas of Central America, the West Indies and northern South America. They are related to guinea pigs and look quite similar, but with longer legs.
Confusingly, the related pacas belong to a genus called Agouti, and are sometimes placed in a separate family called Agoutidae or the subfamily Agoutinae. To avoid misunderstandings, some authors refer to the pacas as the genus Cuniculus.
Agoutis have five front and three hind toes; the first toe is very small. The tail is very short or non-existent. The molar teeth have cylindrical crowns, with several islands and a single lateral fold of enamel. Agoutis may grow to be up to 60 cm in length and 4 kg in weight. Most species have a brown back and a whitish or buffy belly; the fur may have a glossy appearance and then glimmers in an orange colour. They are active at day. In the wild they are shy animals and flee from humans, while in captivity they may become trusting.
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When feeding, agoutis sit on their hind legs and hold food between their forepaws. They feed on fruit and other parts of plants. Sometimes they can cause damage to sugarcane and banana plantations. They are regarded as the only species that can open Brazil nuts, mainly thanks to their strength and exceptionally sharp teeth. |
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Their habitat includes rainforests, savannas and, nowadays, cultivated fields, depending on the species. They conceal themselves at night in hollow tree-trunks, or in burrows among roots. Active and graceful in their movements, their pace is either a kind of trot or a series of springs following one another so rapidly as to look like a gallop. They take readily to water, in which they swim well.
Agoutis give birth to litters of two to four young. They can live for as long as twenty years, a remarkably long time for a rodent. |
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| Parts of this text are from Wkipedia |
