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News Release 12-131

Thieving Rodents: Did They Save Tropical Trees?

Rodents may have taken over seed-dispersal role of now-extinct mammals

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Photo showing an agouti caught in the act of stealing seeds from another's cache.

A camera-trap caught this agouti in the act of stealing seeds from another's cache.

Credit: B.T. Hirsch


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Photo of a camera-trap placed at a seed cache.

Camera-traps were placed at caches to determine which animals moved tropical tree seeds.

Credit: B.T. Hirsch


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Photo of a miniature transmitter which would be attached to seeds to track dispersal by agoutis.

Miniature transmitters, attached to seeds with an antenna, tracked dispersal by agoutis.

Credit: B.T. Hirsch


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Illustration showing how seed movement is caught when the transmitter is pulled off a magnet.

Rodents warned scientists of seed movement by pulling the transmitter off a magnet.

Credit: Patricia Kernan


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Photo of an agouti wearing a radio-collar.

Radio-collars allowed researchers to follow agoutis across tropical forests in Panama.

Credit: Christian Ziegler


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Photo of black palm seeds.

Black palm seeds, once sown by extinct megafauna, are now sown by agoutis.

Credit: Christian Ziegler


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