A hyrax (from Greek "shrewmouse") is any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals 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. They live in Africa and the Middle East.
Hyraxes are well-furred rotund creatures with a short tail. Most measure between 30–70 cm long and weigh between 2–5 kg.
Although not ruminants, hyraxes have complex, multi-chambered 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 that 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 ungulates 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 that 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 kidneys, retaining water so that 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 sixteen to seventeen 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.
Phoenician sailors 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.
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 tusks, good memory, high brain functions compared to other similar mammals, and the shape of some of their bones.
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 like Embrithopoda and Desmostylia.
The extinct meridiungulate family Archaeohyracidae, consisting of four genera of notoungulate mammals known from the Paleocene through the Oligocene of South America is a group unrelated to the true hyraxes.
Category:Mammals of Africa Category:Mammals of Southwest Asia
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