Hyrax

Size Approximately:

18 to 22 in.

Classifying the Hyrax

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)

Weight: 4 to 12 lbs

Food

They feed mainly on a variety of grasses and some shrubs; can even feed on plants normally dangerous to other animals

Food

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Habitat

Inhabits rocky or scrub-covered areas; shelter between and under rocks as well as in burrows

Live throughout Africa, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas

Gestation

Gestation/ Maturity

A female carries a baby hyrax for 7 to 8 months (long for animals)

Sexual maturity: 16-18 months old

Life Span: 9 - 14 years

Hyraxes constantly urinate in the same place, and the large amounts of calcium carbonate in their urine turns the cliffs where they live white.

Their upper incisors (front teeth) grow continuously and look like small tusks.

Despite looking like rodents, their closest relatives are actually elephants and manatees.

Fun Facts

The calcium carbonate crystals were used as medicine, both by several African tribes as well as by Europeans, to treat such ailments as epilepsy, hysteria and various injuries.