Hyrax
Encyclopedia
A hyrax is any of four species
of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammal
s in the order
Hyracoidea. The rock hyrax Procavia capensis, the yellow-spotted rock hyrax Heterohyrax brucei, the western tree hyrax
Dendrohyrax dorsalis, and the southern tree hyrax
, Dendrohyrax arboreus live in Africa
and the Middle East
.
Hyraxes are well-furred, rotund creatures with short tails. Most measure between 30 and 70 cm long and weigh between 2 and 5 kg.
Hyraxes retain a number of early mammalian characteristics; in particular, they have poorly developed internal temperature regulation (which they deal with by huddling together for warmth, and by basking in the sun like reptiles). Unlike other browsing and grazing animals, they do not use the incisor
s at the front of the jaw for slicing off leaves and grass, but use the molar
teeth at the side of the jaw, instead. The incisors are nonetheless large, and grow continuously through life, in a manner similar to those of rodent
s. There is a small diastema
between the incisors and the cheek teeth. The dental formula
for hyraxes is
Although not ruminants
, hyraxes have complex, multichambered stomachs that allow symbiotic bacteria to break down tough plant materials, and their overall ability to digest fibre is similar to that of the ungulates. Their mandibular motions (see video) have often been described as chewing cud
, although there is no evidence this behaviour is associated with the regurgitation
of stomach contents for the extraction of nutrients from coarse, low-grade leaves and grasses, as in the even-toed ungulate
s and some of the macropods. This behaviour is generally given as the explanation for the passage in Leviticus 11:5 that hyraxes chew the cud. Some authors believe these chewing motions are a form of antagonistic behavior, when the animal feels threatened, rather than being related to ingestion or mastication
.
Hyraxes inhabit rocky terrain across sub-Saharan Africa
and the Middle East
. Their feet have rubbery pads with numerous sweat glands, which help the animal maintain its grip when moving fast up steep, rocky surfaces. They also have efficient kidney
s, retaining water so they can survive in arid environments.
Female hyraxes give birth to up to four young after a gestation
period of between seven and eight months, depending on the species. The young are weaned
at one to five months of age, and reach sexual maturity at 16 to 17 months. Male hyraxes lack a scrotum, and their testicles remain tucked up in their abdominal cavity next to the kidneys, much like elephants, manatees and dugongs. Female hyraxes have a pair of teats near their shoulders, as well as four teats in their groin.
Hyraxes live in small family groups, dominated by a single male who aggressively defends the territory from rivals. Where there is abundant living space, the male may dominate multiple groups of females, each with their own range. The remaining males live solitary lives, often on the periphery of areas controlled by larger males, and mate only with younger females.
The words "rabbit", "hare" or "coney" appear as terms for the hyrax in some English translations of the Bible. Early English translators had no knowledge of the hyrax (Hebrew
שָּׁפָן shaphan), and therefore no name for them. There are references to hyraxes in the Old Testament
, particularly in Leviticus 11, where they are described as lacking a split hoof and therefore being not kosher. It also claims that the hyrax chews its cud. However, this claim is due to the habit of the hyrax chewing without having ingested anything, resembling the chewing of cud. Some of the modern translations refer to them as rock badgers. Shaphan
was also the name of a scribe of King Josiah
.
Phoenicia
n sailor
s visiting the coast of Spain
circa 1100s BC
, mistaking the European rabbit
for the rock hyrax Procavia capensis from their native homeland, gave it the name i-shepan-ham. A theory exists that an adaptation and/or corruption of this name, used by the Romans
, became Hispania
, leading to English Spain and Spanish España, although this theory is somewhat controversial.
and the Middle East
. In the past, however, hyraxes were more diverse and widespread. The order first appears in the fossil record at a site in the Middle East in the form of Dimaitherium
, 37 million years ago. For many millions of years, hyraxes were the primary terrestrial herbivore in Africa, just as odd-toed ungulate
s were in the Americas. Through the middle to late Eocene
, there were many different species, the largest of them about the weight of a small horse, the smallest the size of a mouse. During the Miocene
, however, competition from the newly developed bovid
s—very efficient grazers and browsers—pushed the hyraxes out of the prime territory and into marginal niches. Nevertheless, the order remained widespread, diverse and successful as late as the end of the Pliocene
(about two million years ago) with representatives throughout most of Africa, Europe
and Asia
.
The descendants of the giant hyracoids evolved in different ways. Some became smaller, and gave rise to the modern hyrax family. Others appear to have taken to the water (perhaps like the modern capybara
), and ultimately gave rise to the elephant family, and perhaps also the sirenians (dugongs and manatees). DNA evidence supports this hypothesis, and the small modern hyraxes share numerous features with elephants, such as toenails, excellent hearing, sensitive pads on their feet, small tusk
s, good memory, high brain functions compared to other similar mammals, and the shape of some of their bone
s.
Hyraxes are sometimes described as being the closest living relative to the elephant
. Although relatively closely related, not all scientists support the proposal that hyraxes are the "closest" living relative of the elephant. Recent morphological and molecular-based classifications reveal the sirenians to be the closest living relatives of elephants, while hyraxes are closely related, but form an outgroup
to the assemblage of elephants, sirenians, and extinct orders such as Embrithopoda
and Desmostylia
.
The extinct meridiungulate
family
Archaeohyracidae
, consisting of four genera
of notoungulate
mammal
s known from the Paleocene
through the Oligocene
of South America
is a group unrelated to the true hyraxes.
the number of distinct species of hyrax recognized. As recently as 1995, there were eleven or more recognized species; only four are recognized today. The remaining species are regarded as subspecies of the remaining four. There are over 50 recognized subspecies and species, many of which are considered highly endangered.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s in the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Hyracoidea. The rock hyrax Procavia capensis, the yellow-spotted rock hyrax Heterohyrax brucei, the western tree hyrax
Western Tree Hyrax
The Western Tree Hyrax , also called the Western Tree Dassie or Beecroft's Tree Hyrax, is a species of tree hyrax, members of the family Procaviidae.-Range and habitat:...
Dendrohyrax dorsalis, and the southern tree hyrax
Southern Tree Hyrax
The Eastern Tree Dassie, Eastern Tree Hyrax, Southern Tree Dassie, or Southern Tree Hyrax is a species of mammal in the Procaviidae family. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe...
, Dendrohyrax arboreus live in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Hyraxes are well-furred, rotund creatures with short tails. Most measure between 30 and 70 cm long and weigh between 2 and 5 kg.
Characteristics
Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s at the front of the jaw for slicing off leaves and grass, but use the molar
Molar (tooth)
Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
teeth at the side of the jaw, instead. The incisors are nonetheless large, and grow continuously through life, in a manner similar to those of rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s. There is a small diastema
Diastema (dentistry)
Diastema is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars.-In humans:...
between the incisors and the cheek teeth. The dental formula
Dentition
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...
for hyraxes is
Although not ruminants
Rumination
The term rumination , meaning "to chew the cud," is used in several contexts:-Digestive rumination:* In animals, rumination is a part of normal digestion, in which the animal brings up swallowed food , chews it, and swallows it...
, hyraxes have complex, multichambered stomachs that allow symbiotic bacteria to break down tough plant materials, and their overall ability to digest fibre is similar to that of the ungulates. Their mandibular motions (see video) have often been described as chewing cud
Cud
Cud is a portion of food that returns from a ruminant's stomach in the mouth to be chewed for the second time. More accurately, it is a bolus of semi-degraded food regurgitated from the reticulorumen of a ruminant. Cud is produced during the physical digestive process of rumination, or "chewing the...
, although there is no evidence this behaviour is associated with the regurgitation
Regurgitation
Regurgitation, Regurgiate or Regurgitate can refer to:* Regurgitation * Vomiting* Regurgitation * Regurgitate , a goregrind band...
of stomach contents for the extraction of nutrients from coarse, low-grade leaves and grasses, as in the even-toed ungulate
Even-toed ungulate
The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in odd-toed ungulates such as horses....
s and some of the macropods. This behaviour is generally given as the explanation for the passage in Leviticus 11:5 that hyraxes chew the cud. Some authors believe these chewing motions are a form of antagonistic behavior, when the animal feels threatened, rather than being related to ingestion or mastication
Mastication
Mastication or chewing is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion and it increases the surface area of foods to allow more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, the food is positioned between the teeth for grinding by...
.
Hyraxes inhabit rocky terrain across sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Their feet have rubbery pads with numerous sweat glands, which help the animal maintain its grip when moving fast up steep, rocky surfaces. They also have efficient kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
s, retaining water so they can survive in arid environments.
Female hyraxes give birth to up to four young after a gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period of between seven and eight months, depending on the species. The young are weaned
Weaning
Weaning is the process of gradually introducing a mammal infant, either human or animal, to what will be its adult diet and withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk.The process takes place only in mammals, as only mammals produce milk...
at one to five months of age, and reach sexual maturity at 16 to 17 months. Male hyraxes lack a scrotum, and their testicles remain tucked up in their abdominal cavity next to the kidneys, much like elephants, manatees and dugongs. Female hyraxes have a pair of teats near their shoulders, as well as four teats in their groin.
Hyraxes live in small family groups, dominated by a single male who aggressively defends the territory from rivals. Where there is abundant living space, the male may dominate multiple groups of females, each with their own range. The remaining males live solitary lives, often on the periphery of areas controlled by larger males, and mate only with younger females.
Historical accounts
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
שָּׁפָן shaphan), and therefore no name for them. There are references to hyraxes in the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, particularly in Leviticus 11, where they are described as lacking a split hoof and therefore being not kosher. It also claims that the hyrax chews its cud. However, this claim is due to the habit of the hyrax chewing without having ingested anything, resembling the chewing of cud. Some of the modern translations refer to them as rock badgers. Shaphan
Shaphan
Shaphan is a scribe or court secretary mentioned several times in the Old Testament .-Biblical account:...
was also the name of a scribe of King Josiah
Josiah
Josiah or Yoshiyahu or Joshua was a king of Judah who instituted major reforms. Josiah is credited by most historians with having established or compiled important Jewish scriptures during the Deuteronomic reform that occurred during his rule.Josiah became king of Judah at the age of eight, after...
.
Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
s visiting the coast of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
circa 1100s BC
1100s BC
-Events and trends:* 1104 BC—Foundation of Cadiz, Spain.* 1100 BC—Tiglath-Pileser I of Assyria conquers the Hittites.* c. 1100 BC—The Dorians invade Ancient Greece....
, mistaking the European rabbit
European Rabbit
The European Rabbit or Common Rabbit is a species of rabbit native to south west Europe and north west Africa . It has been widely introduced elsewhere often with devastating effects on local biodiversity...
for the rock hyrax Procavia capensis from their native homeland, gave it the name i-shepan-ham. A theory exists that an adaptation and/or corruption of this name, used by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, became Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
, leading to English Spain and Spanish España, although this theory is somewhat controversial.
Evolution
All modern hyraxes are members of the family Procaviidae (the only living family within the Hyracoidea) and are found only in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. In the past, however, hyraxes were more diverse and widespread. The order first appears in the fossil record at a site in the Middle East in the form of Dimaitherium
Dimaitherium
Dimaitherium is an extinct hyracoid which existed in what is now Egypt, during the late Eocene period. It was first named by Eugenie Barrow, Erik R. Seiffert, and Elwyn L. Simons in 2010. The type species is Dimaitherium patnaiki....
, 37 million years ago. For many millions of years, hyraxes were the primary terrestrial herbivore in Africa, just as odd-toed ungulate
Odd-toed ungulate
An odd-toed ungulate is a mammal with hooves that feature an odd number of toes. Odd-toed ungulates comprise the order Perissodactyla . The middle toe on each hoof is usually larger than its neighbours...
s were in the Americas. Through the middle to late Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
, there were many different species, the largest of them about the weight of a small horse, the smallest the size of a mouse. During the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
, however, competition from the newly developed bovid
Bovid
A bovid is any of almost 140 species of cloven-hoofed ruminant mammal at least the males of which bear characteristic unbranching horns covered in a permanent sheath of keratin....
s—very efficient grazers and browsers—pushed the hyraxes out of the prime territory and into marginal niches. Nevertheless, the order remained widespread, diverse and successful as late as the end of the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
(about two million years ago) with representatives throughout most of Africa, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
The descendants of the giant hyracoids evolved in different ways. Some became smaller, and gave rise to the modern hyrax family. Others appear to have taken to the water (perhaps like the modern capybara
Capybara
The capybara , also known as capivara in Portuguese, and capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs...
), and ultimately gave rise to the elephant family, and perhaps also the sirenians (dugongs and manatees). DNA evidence supports this hypothesis, and the small modern hyraxes share numerous features with elephants, such as toenails, excellent hearing, sensitive pads on their feet, small tusk
Tusk
Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth, usually but not always in pairs, that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canines, as with warthogs, wild boar, and walruses, or, in the case of elephants and narwhals, elongated incisors...
s, good memory, high brain functions compared to other similar mammals, and the shape of some of their bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
s.
Hyraxes are sometimes described as being the closest living relative to the elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
. Although relatively closely related, not all scientists support the proposal that hyraxes are the "closest" living relative of the elephant. Recent morphological and molecular-based classifications reveal the sirenians to be the closest living relatives of elephants, while hyraxes are closely related, but form an outgroup
Outgroup
In cladistics or phylogenetics, an outgroup is a group of organisms that serves as a reference group for determination of the evolutionary relationship among three or more monophyletic groups of organisms....
to the assemblage of elephants, sirenians, and extinct orders such as Embrithopoda
Embrithopoda
Embrithopoda is an extinct order of mammals which first appeared in the fossil record during the late Eocene and then died out during the Oligocene....
and Desmostylia
Desmostylia
Desmostylia is an extinct order of marine mammals which existed from the Arikareean age of the late Oligocene epoch to the Tortonian age of the late Miocene epoch . Their dental and skeletal form suggests desmostylians were amphibious herbivores dependent on littoral habitats...
.
The extinct meridiungulate
Meridiungulata
Meridiungulata is an extinct clade with the rank of cohort or super-order, containing the South-American ungulates: Pyrotheria , Astrapotheria, Notoungulata and Litopterna...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Archaeohyracidae
Archaeohyracidae
Archaeohyracidae is an extinct family comprising four genera of notoungulate mammals known from the Paleocene through the Oligocene of South America....
, consisting of four genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of notoungulate
Notoungulata
Notoungulata is an extinct order of hoofed, sometimes heavy bodied mammalian ungulates which inhabited South America during the Paleocene to Pleistocene, living from approximately 57 Ma to 11,000 years ago.-Taxonomy:...
mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s known from the Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
through the Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
is a group unrelated to the true hyraxes.
List of extinct species
- Pliohyracidae
- Geniohyinae
- Seggeurius
- Geniohyus
- Saghatheriinae
- Microhyrax
- Meroehyrax
- Selenohyrax
- Bunohyrax
- Pachyhyrax
- Megalohyrax
- Saghatherium
- Thyrohyrax
- Titanohyracinae
- Antilohyrax
- TitanohyraxTitanohyraxTitanohyrax is an extinct genus of hyrax from the Eocene and Oligocene. Specimens have been discovered in modern-day Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. The genus was first described by Matsumoto in 1922....
- Pliohyracinae
- Sogdohyrax
- KvabebihyraxKvabebihyraxKvabebihyrax is an extinct genus of hyrax from the European Pliocene.With a length of 1.6 metres , Kvabebihyrax was much larger than modern hyraxes. Its robust body and eyes placed high on the skull gave it a hippopotamus-like appearance. It also had large incisors in both jaws. The only known...
- Prohyrax
- Parapliohyrax
- PliohyraxPliohyraxPliohyrax, a genus believed extinct since the Pliocene, is one of the larger hyracoids . It grew to sizes greatly exceeding those of any living hyrax, though it was by no means the largest member of this family....
- Postschizotherium
- Geniohyinae
- Procaviidae
- Procaviinae
- Gigantohyrax
- Procavia (Cape Hyrax)
- Procavia antigua
- Procavia transvaalensis
- Procaviinae
Living species
Scientists have recently reducedLumpers and splitters
Lumping and splitting refers to a well-known problem in any discipline which has to place individual examples into rigorously defined categories. The lumper/splitter problem occurs when there is the need to create classifications and assign examples to them, for example schools of literature,...
the number of distinct species of hyrax recognized. As recently as 1995, there were eleven or more recognized species; only four are recognized today. The remaining species are regarded as subspecies of the remaining four. There are over 50 recognized subspecies and species, many of which are considered highly endangered.
- ORDER HYRACOIDEA
- Family Procaviidae
- Genus Dendrohyrax
- Southern Tree HyraxSouthern Tree HyraxThe Eastern Tree Dassie, Eastern Tree Hyrax, Southern Tree Dassie, or Southern Tree Hyrax is a species of mammal in the Procaviidae family. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe...
, Dendrohyrax arboreus - Western Tree HyraxWestern Tree HyraxThe Western Tree Hyrax , also called the Western Tree Dassie or Beecroft's Tree Hyrax, is a species of tree hyrax, members of the family Procaviidae.-Range and habitat:...
, Dendrohyrax dorsalis
- Southern Tree Hyrax
- Genus Heterohyrax
- Yellow-spotted Rock HyraxYellow-spotted Rock HyraxThe Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax or Bush Hyrax is a species of mammal in the Procaviidae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Southern Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Northern South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda,...
, Heterohyrax brucei
- Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax
- Genus Procavia
- Rock Hyrax, Procavia capensis
- Genus Dendrohyrax
- Family Procaviidae