Dasyprocta azarae
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Azara's Agouti sighting in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 11 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Azara's Agouti in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas on a given day, against under 5% in May and September, the lowest months. That is one of Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain against almost none in July.
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 parks where we can rate Azara's Agouti sightings, Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 40%), Iguaçu National Park (Brazil, about 40%) and Emas National Park (Brazil, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Azara's Agouti that you can see in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Capybara (about 80%) and Long-tailed Porcupine (about 30%), 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 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (6 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.
