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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
rock
hyrax, hyrax, dassie |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Hyracoidea |
| FAMILY: |
Procaviidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Procavia
(before rodent) capensis (of the Cape) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
hyrax is a small, tailless, rodent-like animal with
a long body and stout legs |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
44-54 cm (18-22 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
1.8-5.4
kg (4-12 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Feeds
mainly on a variety of grasses and some shrubs;
can even feed on plants normally dangerous to other
animals |
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| GESTATION: |
Gestation
lasts approximately 210-240 days; 2-3 young |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
16-18 months |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Generally
9-14 years |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
rocky or scrub-covered areas; shelter between and
under rocks as well as in burrows |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Hyraxes are unique in that the iris slightly protrudes
over the pupil of their eye. This decreases the
amount of light to the eye from above, serving
as a built-in sun visor.
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| 2. |
Rock hyraxes are able to climb on steep rock surfaces
because of physical adaptations on their feet. They
are capable of retracting up the center portion
of their feet into a concave dome, which creates
a vacuum like suction to solid surfaces and aides
in their climbing ability. |
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| 3. |
Hyraxes have long hairs scattered over their bodies.
The hairs probably help orient hyraxes in dark areas
and burrows, similar to whiskers. |
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| 4. |
Rock
hyraxes live in groups ranging from 2-26 individuals.
A dominant male that watches over the colony carefully
to ensure their safety leads the group. |
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| 5. |
Hyraxes
have little control of their body temperature and
cannot exist without shelter from cold and heat.
Instead, they use the environment to regulate their
temperature. |
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| 6. |
The
hyrax's wide mouth and sharp teeth enable it to
take large bites of grass and quickly fill its stomach.
Eating rapidly and spending less time on open grazing
land lessens its exposure to predators. |
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| 7. |
Hyraxes
are considered a close relative of the elephant
because of similarities with the primitive Eocene
ungulates from which elephants and sea cows are
thought to have developed. Some of these similarities
include: males testes within the abdomen; female
mammary glands between the front legs; and tusks
developed from incisors, rather than canines; resemblance
in dentition and foot structure. |
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| 8. |
Verbal
communication consists of a variety of different
calls, but most startling are the territory and
defense calls. Some scientists have likened them
to a woman screaming! |
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| 9. |
Face-to-face
meetings with a direct stare are apt to provoke
low-level threat with a retracted upper lip and
raised dorsal hair. This can escalate to growling
and then chasing, snapping and biting. The tusks
can inflict fatal wounds. To avoid confrontations,
feeding or huddling hyraxes will face slightly away
from each other in a fan pattern and will back into
a huddle or den. |
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| Hyraxes
are a food source for many other animals larger
than themselves, such as leopards, eagles, mongooses,
lions, and jackals. In fact, the Verreaux eagle
feeds almost exclusively on them.
Hyraxes
have a high concentration of calcium carbonate
in their urine and at one time these crystalline
deposits were collected for medicinal value.
Deforestation
and the fur trade, make them the most rare of
all hyrax species.
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| |
|
|
|
Estes, R. D. The Safari Companion. Vermont:
Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1993. |
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Estes, R. The Behavior Guide to African Mammals.
1991. University of California Press, pp. 250-7. |
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Gotch, A.F. Mammals- Their Latin Names Explained.
Great Britain: Blandford Press,1979.
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| Grzimek,
H.C. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol.
4. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.
1990. |
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| MacDonald,
D. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol. 2. London:
George Allen and Unwin, 1985. |
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| Nowak,
R. M. Walker's Mammals of the World. Fifth Edition.
Vol. 2. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press, 1991. |
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| Sanderson,
Ivan T. Living Mammals of the World. New
York: Doubleday and Company Inc., 1961. |
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