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 83 agoutis DHJanzen100847.jpg high resolution
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| As the old field or pasture begins to acquire a young tree canopy, and shade its understory, the animals that are more restricted to forest begin to move in (the peccaries, coyotes, birds, bats, deer, and even tapir mentioned above - and some others not mentioned - will cross open areas and defecate seeds into them). The agouti (Dasyprocta punctata, Dasyproctidae) is such a forest animal, and most importantly, it moves BIG seeds, and buries them just as do gray squirrels on our campus. This agouti has an acorn (Quercus oleoides, Fagaceae) in its mouth. While if it eats the acorn, the acorn is killed by being chewed up, agoutis very commonly carry such a food item 5 to 100 meters before burying it. By this means, large-seeded long-lived trees such as oaks (Quercus oleoides) and Hymenaea courbaril move into the later stages of succession in the ACG dry forest. An agouti can, and will, even carry something as large as a coconut (without its husk) too some other area to bury it or leave it for later consumption. The more valuable the item to the agouit, the more likely it is to carry it off and bury it rather than eat it on the spot. Many of these buried items are later recovered and killed, but some are also forgotten - to then become small trees if they are not found by a Liomys mouse or a peccary snuffling through the litter. | ||
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