Hyrax
Small, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Hyraxes (from Ancient Greek ὕραξ (húrax) 'shrewmouse'), also called dassies,[1][2] are small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. Hyraxes are well-furred, rotund animals with short tails.[3] Typically, they measure between 30 and 70 cm (12 and 28 in) long and weigh between 2 and 5 kg (4 and 11 lb). They are superficially similar to pikas and marmots, but are more closely related to elephants and sea cows.
Hyraxes | |
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Rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) Erongo, Namibia | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Superorder: | Afrotheria |
Clade: | Paenungulatomorpha |
Grandorder: | Paenungulata |
Order: | Hyracoidea Huxley, 1869 |
Subgroups | |
The range map of Procaviidae, the only living family within Hyracoidea |
Hyraxes have a life span from 9 to 14 years. Six extant species are recognised: the rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) and the yellow-spotted rock hyrax (Heterohyrax brucei), which both live on rock outcrops, including cliffs in Ethiopia[4] and isolated granite outcrops called koppies in southern Africa;[5] the western tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax dorsalis), southern tree hyrax (D. arboreus), eastern tree hyrax (D. validus)[6] and Benin tree hyrax (D. interfluvialis). Their distribution is limited to Africa, except for P. capensis, which is also found in the Middle East.