Dasyprocta punctata (Central American agouti) ranges from southern Mexico through Central America to Colombia, Ecuador, and parts of northwestern South America. It is a long-legged, short-tailed rodent with coarse fur that varies geographically from yellowish brown to reddish or nearly black. It lives in tropical forest, secondary growth, plantations, and wooded areas near people where cover and fallen fruit remain available.

Agoutis are normally active by day but can shift activity when heavily hunted or disturbed. They sit upright and hold food between their forepaws, as shown in the photograph. Fruits, nuts, seeds, and other plant material form most of the diet. Individuals bury surplus seeds in many separate caches and later recover them by smell; forgotten caches can germinate far from the parent tree. Adults commonly form stable pairs that defend overlapping use areas, and females give birth to precocial young able to move soon after birth. Photographed in Colombia.