Dasyprocta azarae
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Azara's Agouti sighting in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, based on 115 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 13 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to August
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Azara's Agouti in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, against about 20% in February and December, 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Azara's Agouti sightings, Iguaçu National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Azara's Agouti that you can see in Iguaçu National Park (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Capybara (about 20%) and Brazilian Guinea Pig (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Azara's Agouti is recorded against all the mammals logged in Iguaçu National Park (115 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
