AI overview
The rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) is a small, stocky mammal about the size of a guinea pig that lives among rocky outcrops in Africa and the Middle East. Though it may look rodent-like, it's actually more closely related to elephants and sea cows, making it an important example of how diverse mammal evolution can be.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Taxonomy · GBIF
SPECIES
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderHyracoidea
- FamilyProcaviidae
via GBIF · CC0
Article
The rock hyrax (/ˈhaɪ.ræks/; Procavia capensis), also called dassie, Rickaz, Cape hyrax, rock rabbit, or coney (in early English Bible translations), is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East. Commonly called the dassie in South Africa (/ˈdæsi/; Afrikaans: klipdassie), it is one of the five living species of the order Hyracoidea, and the only one in the genus Procavia. Rock hyraxes weigh 4–5 kg (8.8–11.0 lb) and have short ears.
Rock hyraxes are found at elevations up to 4,200 m (13,800 ft) above sea level in habitats with rock crevices, allowing them to escape from predators. They are the only extant terrestrial afrotherians in the Middle East. Hyraxes typically live in groups of 10–80 animals, and forage as a group. They have been reported to use sentries to warn of the approach of predators. Having incomplete thermoregulation, they are most active in the morning and evening, although their activity pattern varies substantially with season and climate.