title: Dasyproctidae
text: Dasyproctidae is a family of large South American rodents, comprising the agoutis and acouchis. Their fur is a reddish or dark colour above, with a paler underside. They are herbivorous, often feeding on ripe fruit that falls from trees. They live in burrows, and, like squirrels, will bury some of their food for later use.
  
  Dasyproctids exist in Central and South America, which are the tropical parts of the New World. The fossil record of this family can be traced back to the Late Oligocene (Deseadan in the SALMA classification).
  
  As with all rodents, members of this family have incisors, pre-molars, and molars, but no canines. The cheek teeth are hypsodont and flat-crowned.
  
  Classification 
  Fossil taxa follow McKenna and Bell, with modifications following Kramarz.
  
   Family Dasyproctidae
   Genus †Alloiomys
   Genus †Australoprocta
   Genus †Branisamys
   Genus †Incamys
   Genus †Neoreomys
   Genus †Megastus
   Genus †Palmiramys
   Genus Dasyprocta
   Azara's agouti, D. azarae
   Coiban agouti, D. coibae
   Crested agouti, D. cristata
   Black agouti, D. fuliginosa
   Orinoco agouti, D. guamara
   Kalinowski's agouti, D. kalinowskii
   Red-rumped agouti, D. leporina
   Mexican agouti, D. mexicana
   Black-rumped agouti, D. prymnolopha
   Central American agouti, D. punctata
   Ruatan Island agouti, D. ruatanica
   Genus Myoprocta
   Green acouchi, M. pratti
   Red acouchi, M. acouchy
  
  The pacas (genus Cuniculus) are placed by some authorities in Dasyproctidae, but molecular studies have demonstrated they do not form a monophyletic group.
  
  References
  
  External links 
   Central American agouti at Smithsonian
   Dasyproctidae at Animaldiversity.org
   2014 - Figueira et al. - Carrion consumption by Dasyprocta leporina (Rodentia: Dasyproctidae) and a review of meat use by agoutis
  
   
  Hystricognath rodents
  Rodent families
  Extant Chattian first appearances
  Mammals described in 1825