Wild observation of infanticide and cannibalism by Azara’s Agouti (Dasyptocta azarae) (Mammalia: Dasyproctidae) in Paraguay

Abstract

Infanticide is the killing of infants by conspecifics, and may be direct or indirect; and parental or non‐parental. Explanations for such behaviours range from forcing females with young back into heat, resource recycling in times of shortage and elimination of competitors. Though moderately well understood in some mammal groups, reports of infanticide in hystricomorph rodents are often contradictory and invariably based on captive observations, raising questions about the naturality of the behaviour and the conclusions derived from them. Here, we report the first wild observation of direct infanticide and cannibalism of two juvenile Azara's Agoutis Dasyptocta azarae by a group of adults in Paraguay, confirming that such behaviours also occur under natural conditions.

Bases etológicas do infanticídio: uma abordagem sobre o estado da arte em mamíferos

“…Assim, é possível destacar padrões ou variações para o que chamamos aqui de comportamento infanticida, relatado em diversos estudos que visam a responder à questão sob o prisma evolutivo e sobre as suas funções individuais, sociais e ecológicas (López, López, Methion & Covelo, 2018;Breedveld, Folkertsma & Eccard, 2019;Smith & Smith, 2019;Zhao et al, 2020). Por meio destes estudos compreende-se que o comportamento infanticida, ou outros episódios agressivos relacionados, podem ocorrer a partir de contextos variáveis resumidos a seguir na Tabela 2.…”

New Experimental Observations of Infanticide and Cannibalism in Northern Tree Shrew Tupaia belangeri

“…Hrdy, 1979;Cassini, 1998;Palombit, 2015 Accidental behaviour This would seem more likely to be an attempt to remove the newborn rather than a deliberate attempt to kill and eat the neonate. Singh and Garcia, 2015;Smith and Smith, 2019 Note: Some of the descriptions of hypotheses are quoted from Kral et al, 2019. The experimental procedures were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of the School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University (No. 13-0901-011).…”

Postweaning Performance of the Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina): A Neotropical Rodent with Potential for Domestication

“…Some authors have stated that this animal is a frugivore which consumes fruits, nuts, and seeds [9][10][11][12][13]. However, recently, the zoophagic behaviour of this animal has been highlighted [14][15][16][17]. Finally, due to the variability in this animal's diet due to environmental conditions, some researchers have classified them as opportunistic omnivores [18].…”