Paul Suka, age 10, of Seattle, Washington, for his question:

Where is the home of the agouti?

Agoutis are the bunnies of South America. However, they have no long floppy ears and no tails at all. They stand high on spindly legs and are fast runners. Some of them wear rows of light spots along their sleek furry sides.

The largest agoutis, some 30 inches long, range from Mexico to Paraguay. The smaller varieties, measuring no more than 20 inches, roam the tropics of Central and South America and the West Indies.

All agoutis are shy, burrowing animals. They come out only at night, their diet is vegetation, and all of them are very, very fond of fruit.