The genus Kerodon (vernacular name mocos; rock cavies) contains two species of South American cavies, the rock cavy and the acrobatic cavy. They are found in the semiarid regions of northeast Brazil known as the Caatinga. This area has a rocky terrain with large granite boulders that contain rifts and hollows where Kerodon species primarily live. They are related to capybaras and guinea pigs.
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The genus Kerodon (vernacular name mocos; rock cavies) contains two species of South American cavies, the rock cavy and the acrobatic cavy. They are found in the semiarid regions of northeast Brazil known as the Caatinga. This area has a rocky terrain with large granite boulders that contain rifts and hollows where Kerodon species primarily live. They are related to capybaras and guinea pigs.
==Characteristics== They are hystricomorph rodents, medium-sized, with bodies, a face, and heavily padded feet. Their nails are blunt on all digits except a small grooming claw on the outermost digit of the foot. Fully grown adults weigh around 1000 g or 31–35 oz, and range in length from 200 to 400 mm or 7.5 to 16 in. They forage for mostly leaves, grasses, seeds, and tree bark. They breed year round, usually having one to three litters per year and one to three young per pregnancy. Gestation last around 76 days and the young are weaned from the mother within 33 days. They reach sexual maturity at 133 days.
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