Agouti's offsprings

An Agouti's offspring is so small that I needed to 'zoom' in to find it. There it is.

Red-rumped Agouti's (Dasyprocta leoprina) are seen so often in Kabalebo that they are part of the family. No one bothers them or chase them away, but at the same time they are quite remarkable. Small rodents looking for something to nibble on (nuts or fruits). 

They are often seen as a solo traveller but sometimes they are also seen as a couple. When a female is expecting, she gives birth after almost 6 weeks of carrying. Most of the time twins are born. At this particular day, for instance, I met a mother with her twins. Here you see one of them while holding something that looks like a fruit.

Here you can see how small the offsprings are when standing next to their mother. A full grown Agouti is about 50/65 cm tall and weighing between 3 - 6 kg. So seeing a little Agouti is so much adorable to look at. Just when you think that the Agouti's are small rodents, think of a young Agouti. That is small.

This mother Agouti was seen a couple of months ago in the interior of Kabalebo. Her offsprings were always close by. Young Agouti's are fast learners and are also quick at their feet, meaning they are quite independent at a young age. Even though these young Agouti's were with their mother, you can see that they already were eating solid food and already knew how to handle them too. 

After a couple months they will find their own way in the big forest, but meanwhile they keep their eyes open and learn as much as they can from their mother.