Non-nurturent functions of mother—young interaction in the agouti (Dasyprocta punctata)

Field observation of the interaction of the precocial young of the agouti (Dasyprocta punctata, a Neotropical rodent) with their dam suggests a number of adaptive functions of mother—young interaction not readily observed in either the species or situations normally employed in laboratory studies of maternal behavior. The presence of the agouti mother in the vicinity of the nest site provides protection for her young from predators and …