Dasyprocta azarae
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae) is an agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. Found in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, it is named after Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara. The population is unknown and may have gone locally extinct in some areas due to hunting; it is listed as vulnerable in Argentina.
Despite being active during the day, Azara's agoutis are quite difficult to study, as they are naturally extremely shy and will flee and hide when humans approach. Their shyness may be related to their solitary lifestyles, but may be because they are heavily preyed upon by many carnivorous species, including humans. However, if bred in captivity, they can become trusting animals. Azara's agoutis will let out little barks when alarmed. These animals are sometimes known as "jungle gardeners", as they often bury nuts and seeds and forget where they put them, therefore helping new plants to grow.
John F. Eisenberg and Kent H. Redford. (2000). Mammals of Neotropics: Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Azara's Agouti sighting in São Paulo on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 15th most-seen of the 19 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Azara's Agouti in São Paulo on a given day, against under 5% in May–August and October–March, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Azara's Agouti sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Azara's Agouti sightings, São Paulo ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Campo Grande (Brazil, about 40%), Curitiba (Brazil, about 30%) and Goiânia (Brazil, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Azara's Agouti is recorded against all the mammals logged in São Paulo (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
