Manicou & Aguti: Manicou River Eco Resort.

What is a manicou?

Manicou: man·i·cou [ mánni k ] (plural man·i·cous) The word comes from the Native American language for an opossum (Didelphis marsupialis).

These private furry marsupials live in our woodlands along with Agouti. They are about the same size as cat with a fine and smooth tail that can measure 50 cm. They have 50 teeth. They live to around 2 ½ years old. The Manicou is a nocturnal animal that spends the day curled up with its head under the rest of its body sleeping in the hollow of a tree.

The Manicou eats fruits particularly our mangoes that grow along the Manicou River at the resort hence the river was named after them. They also eat worms, frogs, and insects but sometimes birds and eggs. While primarily terrestrial, common Manicou are cleaver climbers and will venture into the branches in search of food such as fruit.

When the Manicou feels in danger, it emits a disagreeable smell. Not as bad as a skunk and they donât spray thank goodness.

The female Manicou births up to three times a year. She can give birth to more than 50 young at a time, but only those that attach to one of her 13 nipples will survive. This is usually only between 5 to 9 young. As other marsupials the new-borns are kept in the mother's pouch for eight weeks, then the young are carried on mother's back until they are three to four months old. Once the young have developed further, but are still quite helpless, the mother will leave them in the nest while she forages for food. Males take no part in raising the young

Manicou? What about Agouti?

Yes enough of the Manicou ... now onto the Agouti

The Agouti (ah GOO tee) is a mammal that grows up to 2 feet (62 centimeters) long and weighs up to 8.8 pounds (4 kilograms). They have a good long Dominican life span of up to 17 years! They usually give birth to 1 to 4 young at a time.

The Agoutis arrived with the Amerindians from South America. They were a source of food that was introduced to the island.

The Agouti is a big brown-haired rodent that looks like the cross between a very large guinea pig, a rabbit and a huge squirrel. Its coarse hair is covered with an oily substance that acts like a raincoat. The hair is longest on its rump. The agouti has five toes on its front feet and three on the hind feet. It walks on its toes, not flat-footed like many rodents, giving the agouti a dainty look. Although it is hard to see it, the agouti does have a tail: it is very small, looking like a dark jellybean stuck on the animal's rump!

They live in the rainforest flora & fauna beside the Manicou River and our woodlands. When they are not searching for food they love to take a dip in the shallow fresh water pools in the river. It can be hard to see in a dark rain forest habitat, so the agouti marks its territory with urine as a smelly way to tell other agoutis to keep out. The same as the Manicou the agouti stays in a burrow or hollow tree trunk when sleeping.

We met one last week while out walking with our dog. First it froze, then it screamed stamping its feet with its hair standing on end. Then he made his escape running amazingly fast. More amazingly, he jumped 5 feet straight up in the air from a standing position, spun around, landed, and dash off in the opposite direction! We were totally flummoxed & the poor dog was stunned.

Manicou and Agouti are still-hunted for food by local people. Manicou River Resort has created a safe haven for these and many other animals. Please do not feed the animals as they have a plentiful natural diet in the woodland & they are welcome to as much fruit as they can eat from our trees.

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