Damanovye. daman animal

This order unites one modern family Procavidae, including 3 genera and about 10 species.

Outwardly, hyraxes look a bit like a rabbit, a tailless marmot, or a very large hay delivery. The length of their body is from 30 to 60 cm, there is no tail, or it is only 1-3 cm long, the mass of the animal is from 1.5 to 4.5 kg. The muzzle is short, with a forked upper lip; the ears are small, in some species almost hidden in the coat; legs are short but strong. The front paws are four-fingered with flattened claws resembling hooves; the hind feet are three-toed, the inner toe bears a long, curved nail, and the others have hoof-like claws, as on the front feet. There are pads on the bare soles, and central part the arch of the sole can be lifted by special muscles when it rests on the substrate, which creates a vacuum, and the paw sticks to the surface of a stone or tree trunk. The glands on the soles, which secrete a rubbery secretion, contribute to the strong suction of the sole to the substrate. Thanks to this adaptation, hyraxes can run up and down vertical rocks and tree trunks with great agility and speed. Milk teeth - 28, permanent - 34-38, The only pair of upper incisors with constant growth is devoid of enamel on inner surface and resembles the incisors of rodents. A wide diastema separates the incisors from one pair of canines (the latter may be absent). Premolar (4/4) and especially molars (3/3) teeth are similar to the teeth of ungulates. The stomach is divided into 2 sections. On the back of hyraxes there is a large secreting glandular field of 7-8 lobes - the dorsal gland, the meaning of which is unclear. In young, it is poorly developed, and in females it is less than in males. When frightened or excited, the hair covering the gland (they are of a different color than the hair on the entire back) is ruffled, exposing the gland, from which an odorous substance is released.

The wool of hyraxes is thick, has a soft undercoat and hard awns. On the body (especially on the muzzle above the eyes and on the neck) there are bunches of long vibrissae. The color of the fur is often brown-gray with different shades, but there is always a spot of light or black hair on the dorsal gland.

Hyraxes inhabit Africa, Southwest Asia (Arabian Peninsula). Terrestrial views Hyraxes live on rocks, climbing the slopes of mountains to a height of 4500 m above sea level, or among stones and shrubs on dry plains. Tree hyraxes inhabit forests. They are herbivorous, but most also eat insects and their larvae. Hyraxes breed all year round. Their pregnancy lasts 7-7.5 months. Young are born well developed, sighted, covered with wool and soon become independent.

The origin of hyraxes is unclear. Perhaps they are closest to the proboscis. In the fossil state, hyraxes are known from the early Oligocene of Africa. In the Pliocene, apart from Africa and Southwest Asia, they were common in Southern Europe.

tree hyraxes(Dendrohyrax dorsalis, D. validus, D. arboreus) live in the forests of Central and South Africa. They are found on the slopes of mountains up to an altitude of 4500 m above sea level. The fur of tree hyraxes is longer and silkier than that of other species. The color of the upper body is brown with a grayish and yellowish coating due to the light-colored tips of the hairs. The spinal gland is covered with whitish hair. Short white hair covers the rim of the ears. The lower surface of the body is brown. Tree hyraxes are distinguished by the details of the structure of the teeth and the shades in the color of the fur. The length of their body is 40-60 food, tail - 1-Zele, weight - 1.5-2.5 kg.

Tree hyraxes are very mobile: they quickly run up and down the trunks of trees, jump from branch to branch. These animals are nocturnal and therefore hardly noticeable. However, in the evenings, the forest is filled with their cries, announcing that the hyraxes have come out to feed. At night, the screams subside, but again fill the forest before dawn, when the animals return home. The call of tree hyraxes consists of a series of croaking sounds ending in a sharp screech. Voices of tree hyraxes different types differ well. The call can also distinguish the male from the female. Hyraxes scream only in the trees. Probably, the cries of hyraxes are signals that the territory is occupied. Damans lead a solitary lifestyle. The individual site of this animal is about 0.25 km2.

Hyraxes feed on leaves, buds, caterpillars and other insects. Often they descend to the ground for food, where they eat grass and collect insects, spend the day in hollows or in the crown of a tree among dense foliage.

There is no specific breeding season, and they bring young all year round. Pregnancy lasts 7 months. Usually they bring one, rarely two cubs. They are born sighted, covered with wool, very large (almost half the length of the mother) and a few hours after birth they are already climbing trees. Sexual maturity is reached at 2 years.

The main enemies of tree hyraxes are leopards, snakes and birds of prey. In case of danger, hyraxes take a characteristic pose, turning their backs to the enemy and ruffling the hair on the dorsal gland so that the glandular field is exposed. locals damans are caught everywhere, since the meat of these animals good quality. In captivity, tree hyraxes quickly become tame and live up to 6-7 years.

Genus mountain, or gray, hyraxes (Hete-rochyrax) includes 5 or 6 related species distributed in Central and South Africa. Body length 30-38 cm, weight - 4.7-3.5 kg, no tail. The body is covered with short, rather coarse fur. It is brownish-whitish above, with dark ripples due to separate black-tipped hair clusters. The spinal gland is covered with yellowish-whitish hair. The underside of the body is white. Types of mountain hyraxes, including those inhabiting the islands on Lake Victoria, differ in the details of the structure of the teeth and color.

Mountain hyraxes live in mountainous, rocky areas from the sea coast to an altitude of 3800 m above sea level. They settle in colonies from several tens to hundreds of animals.

Mountain hyraxes are active during the day, so they are easy to observe. In the morning, at the first rays of the sun, they appear on the rocks and stones, basking in the sun like lizards. At first, they move little and lie in a heap until (as recent studies have shown) their body temperature rises from 34 to 39 °. Having warmed up, they lively dart among the stones, playing with each other. Soon hyraxes (primarily females) begin to feed. At the slightest danger, these animals squeal piercingly and hide among stones or in rock crevices. However, they are very curious, and soon screams are heard here and there among the stones and the faces of animals appear. If you sit motionless among the colony, then the hyraxes again start games, continue to feed or bask, sprawled on a stone. However, they see and hear very well: the slightest movement or click of the camera makes the animals hide.

Most hyraxes spend a hot African day motionless, lying on stones, spreading their paws to the sides and turning their soles up, apparently such a typical posture is due to the fact that hyraxes have sweat glands only on their soles.

By evening, at 16-18 hours, the hyraxes feed again, dig out rhizomes, bulbs or catch locusts. They spend the night among the stones, where they build nests lined with wool inside. In the nest, several animals gather in a dense pile, which helps them maintain high temperature because they have poorly developed thermoregulation.

In the same nest of wool, the female often brings two cubs, sometimes one or three. (Heterochyrax brucei averages 1.7 young per female.) Pregnancy lasts about 7.5 months (average 225 days). Mountain hyraxes breed all year round, but more often young ones appear in February - March, before the rainy season. They will be born sighted, covered with hair, and after a few hours they are already running.

The main enemies of mountain hyraxes are pythons, mongooses and birds of prey. Aborigines catch mountain hyraxes and eat their meat, but it is worse than tree meat. In captivity, mountain hyraxes live well, but usually remain aggressive, bravely defend themselves, using sharp, strong teeth.

Genus rocky or desert, hyraxes (Procavia) includes 3 species distributed in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Their body length is 30-55 cm, weight - 1.4-2 kg. There is no external tail. The fur is short, coarse. From above it is painted in a brownish-gray tone, brightening on the sides. Cream underside. The dorsal gland is covered with black stripes. There are long black whiskers on the muzzle (vibrissae up to 18 cm long). Rocky hyraxes differ mainly in shades of color, size and details of the structure of the teeth. Outwardly, especially from a distance, rocky hyraxes, like mountain hyraxes, are very reminiscent of huge haystacks or tailless marmots.

.

These hyraxes inhabit rocks, large stony placers, remnants or stony shrub deserts. They find shelter among rocks or dig holes between bush roots.

Rocky hyraxes live in colonies from 5-6 to 50 animals. They are active during the day, but sometimes come to the surface on moonlit nights. Unlike other hyraxes, they feed mainly on grass, leaves and bark of shrubs; they also eat animal food, especially locusts. Despite the short legs, the animals are very mobile and run away from the shelter at a distance of up to 3 km.

They breed all year round. Pregnancy proceeds 7, 5 months. Females usually bring offspring in June - July, after the end of the rains. The female often has 2, less often 3 cubs (Procavia habessinica and P. johnstoni have an average of 1.9 cubs per female). The animals are born sighted and covered with hair, after a few hours they leave the nest (in a hole or among stones) and begin to run. Female Cape hyrax(P. capensis) brings up to 6 cubs, and her newborns are less developed than those of other hyraxes, and stay near their mother for some time.

The main enemies of the daman are the leopard, caracal, foxes, mongooses and birds of prey. When attacked by an enemy, the hyrax not only takes a defensive posture, exposing the dorsal gland, on which the hair stands on end, but also defends itself with its strong teeth. The locals eat daman meat for food.

In captivity, hyraxes can live up to 5-6 years. Young ones are funny and tamed, adults are vicious and aggressive.

Animal life: in 6 volumes. - M.: Enlightenment. Edited by professors N.A. Gladkov, A.V. Mikheev. 1970 .

Systematics

Russian name- Daman Bruce

Latin name- Heterohyrax brucei

English name- Yellow-spotted rock hyrax

Detachment- Hyraxes

Family- Hyraxes

Genus- Mountain hyraxes

Hyraxes are indeed related to elephants, but this does not mean that daman is little elephant. It's just that hyraxes with proboscis and sirens (dugongs and manatees) had common ancestors in ancient times. This is confirmed by numerous similarities in the structure of the teeth, the skeleton of the limbs, the genitals of males (whose testicles do not descend into the scrotum) and many (more than 200) other, less obvious anatomical details. The relationship of hyraxes with proboscis and sirens is also confirmed by the results of genetic studies.

Bruce's daman is a representative of the hyrax order, which includes the only hyrax family. The family includes four species. Two of them - tree and western hyraxes - make up the genus of forest hyraxes. The Cape hyrax is the only representative of the rocky hyrax genus, while Bruce's hyrax belongs to the mountain hyrax genus.

The status of the species in nature

Since 2006, the species has been listed in the International Red Book as "Least Concern" - IUCN (LC). This status was assigned due to the large number of Bruce's hyraxes and their wide distribution, including in protected areas - in nature reserves and national parks.

View and person

Damans have been known to people since ancient times. Even the ancient Phoenicians mentioned them, calling them "shafan" (hiding). True, they apparently did not distinguish them from rabbits. Having landed on the Iberian Peninsula, where rabbits are found in abundance, the ancient Phoenician sailors called this land "i-shfanim" - "the coast of hyraxes." According to one version, this is where it comes from modern name Spain.

In general, with whom only people did not confuse hyraxes. The word "daman" itself is of Arabic origin and means "ram". And its English name hyrax is a word of Greek origin, it translates as "shrew".

The species got its modern name in honor of the famous Scottish traveler and writer of the 18th century, James Bruce, who spent many years in North Africa and Ethiopia, studying the history, culture and nature of these places.

The most vulnerable of all hyraxes are forest hyraxes, whose existence is associated with forests suffering from logging and other human activities.

The position of rocky and mountain hyraxes is somewhat better. Their habitats - stony placers and rocks - are of little interest to people. The hyraxes themselves are quite calm about the human neighborhood and readily master anthropogenic landscapes, including settlements even entering houses and outbuildings. In Africa, hyraxes are also kept as pets, but only occasionally, because adult animals are poorly tamed, and a hyrax can become tame only if you catch little cub. In some places in southern Africa, hyraxes can be hunted for their meat and skins, from which bedding and blankets are sewn.

Distribution and habitats

Daman Bruce is common in the South and East Africa: in central Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Congo, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Eritrea, Ethiopia, in the north of South Africa, in Southeast Egypt (Red Sea coast).

The species inhabits dry savannahs, mountain slopes, rocky hills and screes. Bruce's damans rise to mountains up to 3800 m above sea level, to rocky hills (monandoks), where they find salvation from the heat (the temperature on these hills is not higher than 25 ° C, air humidity is 30–40%), as well as from frequent steppe fires. In crevices and fissures in the rocks, hyraxes make their shelters for the night.

Appearance and morphology

Bruce's damans are small animals, weighing from 1.5 to 4 kg. The body length is from 30 to 60 cm. The tail is short, 1–3 cm. There is no significant difference in size between the sexes, although females may be slightly larger. The muzzle is short, with a forked upper lip and small round ears, the limbs are short. The coat is short, thick and dense. The color of the fur on the back and sides is slightly different: in animals living in colonies inhabiting arid regions, it is grayish, in zones with moderate humidity it is brownish-red. The belly is light. There are light spots above the eyes (“eyebrows”). On the back there is a gland - areas of bright yellow color, about 1.5 cm long, surrounded by long, up to 10 cm, hair.

Front paws have four toes unusual shape flat claws resembling hooves. There are three fingers on the hind legs - the claws on two of them also have the shape of a hoof, and on the inner fingers there is a long nail. The limbs are plantigrade and adapted for movement on smooth stones - the soles are bare, wet due to secretions skin glands and can even serve as suckers.

The female has three pairs of nipples - one pair of thoracic and two pairs of inguinal.

Damans have 34 to 38 permanent teeth. All types of hyraxes have upper incisors that resemble miniature tusks and are separated from a pair of fangs by a large gap - a diastema. The upper incisors are devoid of enamel and are constantly growing, slightly reminiscent of rodent incisors. Two pairs of comb-shaped lower incisors, animals use them when caring for their fur.

Hyraxes can look directly at the sun without harm to their eyes thanks to an unusual device: its pupils are protected from bright light by an outgrowth of the iris.

lifestyle and social behavior

Bruce's hyraxes, like all members of the order, are colonial animals. live large groups up to 30–35 individuals. The basis of such a colony is a family group: an adult territorial male and females (according to various sources, from 5–7 to 17) with many cubs and young animals of both sexes (males remain in the group only up to 16 months). Several colonies may exist in close proximity to each other, but males defend their territory from each other by scaring and biting other males.

Hyraxes are active during the daytime. At night, they warm each other, huddled in tight groups. The rest of the time they do not hold so tightly, but they try not to fight off the group, following the bright spots on the backs of their relatives.

Not far from the sleeping places, Bruce's hyraxes arrange common toilets. Often they are marked with white spots on vertical stones - traces of urine.

Feeding and feeding behavior

Bruce's damans, like the rest of the squad, are herbivorous. They feed on the juicy parts herbaceous plants- shoots, leaves, succulent stems, flowers and buds, as well as bark and shoots of trees, such as acacias. They don't drink water. They usually feed in the morning and from 15 to 18 hours, and the search for food is interspersed with long lying in the sun, grooming. Hyraxes feed in groups, rarely singly.

Vocalization

The male lets out a piercing cry while courting the female. In case of danger of attack by predators, the male also gives shrill signals, upon hearing which, the animals instantly hide or freeze motionless, pretending to be dead.

Reproduction and rearing of offspring

Females can bring offspring annually. The breeding season is highly dependent on geographical location colonies. The fact is that the peak of reproduction occurs at the end of the wet season. So, in hyraxes living in Kenya, the breeding peak falls on February-March, and in Tanzania (Serengeti) it is shifted to December-January. Pregnancy is quite long, from 6 to 7.5 months, in a litter there are usually 1–3 cubs weighing 220–230 g. It is interesting that such a long pregnancy is usually characteristic of large animals. It is possible that this property is an echo of those ancient times when (as evidenced by the materials of paleontological studies) hyraxes reached the size of a small cow.

Interestingly, within the same colony, females give birth almost simultaneously, within three weeks, and often babies from all over the colony are collected in a kind of nursery - but at the same time, each mother feeds only her cubs. Cubs are born quite mature: in fur and with open eyes.

In just a couple of hours, they can leave the brood nest and follow the adults - and sometimes climb onto the back of their mother or another adult. The female feeds them with milk for up to 6 months, but already a few days after birth, young animals begin to eat plant foods. At the age of about a year, grown-up females enter the family group, young males leave the colony.

Among the cubs, there is a rather high mortality rate (according to some reports, more than half of them die), since they are tasty prey for many predators - the hieroglyphic (rock) python, large birds of prey, leopards, caracals, servals, mongooses and smaller mammals.

Adult hyraxes manage to protect themselves from small predators with the help of sharp teeth, but their most reliable defense is hiding among the stones.

Lifespan

According to verified data (see link), the life expectancy of hyraxes in nature is no more than 4 years (in a number of sources the figures are 10 and even 14 years, but they are, in all likelihood, greatly overestimated). There is evidence that hyraxes live up to 11-12 years in captivity. (http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php ?species=Heterohyrax_brucei)

Animal in the Moscow Zoo

Hyraxes appeared in the zoo at the beginning of 2016; a group of 4 young males lives at the exposition in the Elephants pavilion (Old Territory). At first they were shy, only one animal came out to the public, which received the nickname Brave for this. But quite a bit of time has passed, and now all four hyraxes, having grown bolder, are sitting on artificial sheer cliffs, looking at the visitors with curiosity. Animals tend to freeze for a long time without moving, so that visitors sometimes scream in surprise when they discover that the “dummy” is actually alive!

Everyone knows such an animal as an elephant, but it turns out that there is an animal with which the elephant has a lot in common, but not everyone knows it. This little animal- daman (or zhiryak) - a mammal, the size of a home. African legend says they are related. Is it possible? Could such a pygmy be related to the largest of all land animals? It turns out it can. Scientists believe that more than 50 million years ago, in Africa, digging and eating tubers, an animal roamed the size and appearance of a bear. His descendants went down two completely different paths, some became huge, while others became quite small. This relationship is intuitively reflected in the local myth, which calls the hyrax the younger brother of the elephant.

Hyraxes resemble a large one, but in fact they are not rodents. In fact, science does not know exactly who their closest relatives are. Hyraxes live in rocky areas south of the Sahara and the Middle East. Two species, the Cape hyrax and the mountain hyrax, can live together in one colony. Their rocky skyscrapers may seem impregnable, but this is not a hindrance to eagles and they often attack from above. Fortunately, the hyrax has its own little tricks. The eagle tries to catch the victim by surprise, swooping down from the side of the blinding sun, but The hyrax can also look at the sun. The Zulus considered hyraxes blind, but their whole secret is a pair of peculiar sunglasses built into their eyes that absorb bright light. Daman quickly notices a predator and escapes in crevices between rocks or deep caves.

It is much safer here, but a bit dark, so resting his eyes, which are practically useless in such deep lairs, the hyrax uses a different tactic - he moves by touch. Long ultra-sensitive whiskers grow all over his body and allow him to feel the bumps and zigzags of these underground corridors so sharply that he always knows exactly where he is, even in pitch darkness. Such caves protect him from extreme African climate, and it doesn't matter if it's hot outside or cold, inside, it's always cool enough.

The body temperature of the hyrax also decreases, and this saves him energy. In Africa, if necessary, the sun will always quickly warm you through and through. Actually, sunbathing- this is the main morning activity of hyraxes. At this time, you can relax a little. Eagles, the main enemies, will not take off until a stream of heated air rises from the earth, which they need for soaring. Therefore, hyraxes can calmly sit back and soak up the morning sun for several hours, and this cannot be taken away from them. Like reptiles, they use solar heat without wasting precious food calories, for internal heating. As a result, they have a rather modest appetite and do not need to spend much time feeding outside their stone bastions.

Daman or Damanovye (lat. Rrosaviidae) - a family represented by small and stocky herbivorous mammals, the only one of all those currently existing in the order of Damana (Hyracoidea). The family includes five species.

Description of daman

Another name for hyraxes is zhiryaki. Even despite the rather ordinary external data of modern hyraxes, such an animal has a prehistoric, very distant origin.

Appearance

Dimensions of a mammal: body length in the range of 30-65 cm with an average weight of 1.5-4.5 kg. The tail part of the zhiryak is rudimentary, no more than 3 cm long, or completely absent. Appearance hyraxes are similar to rodents - tailless marmots or large guinea pigs, but according to phylogenetic indicators, such a mammal is closer to proboscis animals and sirens. Damanovs have a dense physique, are characterized by clumsiness, a large head, as well as a thick and short neck.

The forelegs are plantigrade, strong and fairly well shaped, with four toes and flattened claws that resemble hooves. The hind limbs are of the three-toed type, with the presence of an inner finger, which has a long and curved nail for combing the hair. The soles of the paws are bare, with a thick and rubbery epidermis and numerous sweat ducts necessary to constantly moisturize the skin. This feature of the structure of the paws allows hyraxes to climb rocky cliffs and tree trunks with incredible speed and dexterity, as well as go down headfirst.

It is interesting! In the middle part of the back there is an area represented by elongated, lighter or darker hair with a central bare area and glandular sweat ducts that secrete a strong-smelling special secret during reproduction.

The muzzle is short, with a forked upper lip. The ears are rounded, small in size, sometimes almost completely hidden under the coat. The fur is dense, consisting of soft fluff and coarse awn, brownish-gray coloration. On the body, in the area of ​​the muzzle and neck, as well as above the eyes, there are bunches of long vibrissae.

Character and lifestyle

The Damanov family consists of four species, a couple of which are diurnal and a couple are nocturnal.. Representatives of the genus Procavia and Heterohyrax are diurnal mammals living in colonies of five to six dozen individuals. The nocturnal forest animal can be a loner or lives in a family. All damans are distinguished by mobility and the ability to run fast, jump high enough and easily climb almost any surface.

It is interesting! All members of the same colony visit the same "toilet", and their urine leaves very characteristic white crystalline traces on the stones.

Representatives of the Damanov family are characterized by the presence of well developed vision and hearing, but poor thermoregulation, so such animals at night try to get together for warmth. In the daytime, mammals, along with reptiles, prefer to bask in the sun for a long time, raising their paws with sweat glands up. The daman is a very wary animal that, when danger is detected, emits sharp and high-pitched calls, forcing the entire colony to quickly hide in a shelter.

How long do damans live

The average life expectancy of a daman in natural conditions does not exceed fourteen years, but may vary slightly depending on habitat and species characteristics. For example, the African hyrax lives an average of six or seven years, while the Cape hyrax can live up to ten years. At the same time, a characteristic pattern was established, according to which females always live a little longer than males.

Types of damans

Relatively recently, the Damanov family united about ten or eleven species, which belonged to four genera. Currently, only four, sometimes five species are distinguished:

• The Prosaviidae family is represented by D. arboreus or Tree hyrax, D. dorsalis or Western hyrax, D. validus or Eastern hyrax, H.brusei or Bruce's Daman and Pr.sarensis or Cape hyrax;
• The family Pliohyracidas includes several genera - Kvabebihyrax, Pliohyrax (Lertodon), as well as Postschizotherium, Sogdohyrax and Titanohyrax;
• Family Geniohyidae;
• Myohyracidae family.

All hyraxes are conditionally divided into three main groups: mountain, steppe and tree mammals.. A number of hyraxes are represented by one family, including about nine species living in Africa, including tree and mountain hyrax.

Range, habitats

Mountain hyraxes are colonial animals distributed throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, from Southeastern Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to Central Angola and Northern South Africa, including the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, where habitats are rocky hills, scree and mountain slopes.

Cape hyraxes are quite widespread from the territory of Syria, Northeast Africa and Israel to South Africa, and are also found almost everywhere south of the Sahara. Isolated populations are observed in the mountainous landscapes of Algeria and Libya.

Western tree hyraxes live in forest areas in the South and Central Africa, and are also found on mountain slopes up to a height of 4.5 thousand meters above sea level. Southern tree hyraxes have become widespread in Africa, as well as along the Southeast coastal zone.

The habitat of this species extends to the south from Uganda and Kenya to the territory of South Africa, as well as from eastern parts Zambia and Congo, westbound eastern continental coast. The animal settles in mountain lowland and coastal forests.

Hyrax diet

The basis of the diet of most hyraxes is represented by leaves. Also, such mammals feed on grass and young succulent shoots. The complex multi-chambered stomach of such a herbivore contains a sufficient amount of special beneficial microflora that contributes to the most efficient and easy absorption of plant foods.

Cape hyraxes sometimes eat food of animal origin, mainly locust insects, as well as their larvae. Cape daman is able to eat vegetation containing strong enough toxins without harm to its health.

It is interesting! Hyraxes have very long and sharp incisors, which are used not only in the process of feeding, but also serve as a means of protecting a shy animal from numerous predators.

The usual diet of mountain hyraxes inhabiting National parks, includes varieties of cordia (Cordia ovalis), grevia (Grevia fallah), hibiscus (Hibiscus lunarifolius), ficus (Ficus) and merua (Maerua triphylla). Such mammals do not drink water, therefore they receive all the liquid necessary for the body exclusively from vegetation.

Cape hyrax(Procavia capensis)

Class - Mammals

Squad - Damany

Family - Damanovye

Genus - Rocky hyraxes

Appearance

Outwardly, especially from afar, they resemble large pikas or short-eared rabbits. Body length 30-58 cm, weight - 1.4-4 kg. Males are slightly larger than females. The tail is indistinguishable from the outside. The hairline is short and rather coarse; above it is painted brown-gray, brightens on the sides, the bottom of the body is cream. The color of the hair on the dorsal gland is black, less often pale yellow or orange. On the muzzle there are black vibrissae up to 18 cm long. The forelimbs are plantigrade, the hind legs are semi-digitigrade. The soles are always wet due to strong sweating, which helps hyraxes to climb stones - the peculiar structure of the feet makes them act like suction cups.

Habitat

Distributed from Syria, Israel and Northeast Africa to South Africa. South of the Sahara lives almost everywhere. Isolated populations are found in the mountains of Libya and Algeria.

In nature

Cape hyraxes inhabit rocks, large stony placers, remnants or stony shrub deserts. Shelter is found among stones or in empty burrows of other animals (aardvarks, meerkats). They live in colonies from 5-6 to 80 individuals. Large colonies are divided into family groups led by an adult male. Cape and mountain hyraxes sometimes live in mixed groups, occupying the same shelters. They are active in the bright part of the day, especially in the morning and evening, but sometimes come to the surface on warm moonlit nights. Most of the day is spent relaxing and basking in the sun - poorly developed thermoregulation causes the body temperature of hyraxes to fluctuate during the day. They feed mainly on grass, fruits, shoots and bark of shrubs; less often they eat animal food (locusts). Despite their clumsy appearance, these animals are very mobile, easily climbing steep cliffs.

reproduction

The timing of the mating season depends on the habitat. So, in Kenya, it comes in August-November, but can last until January; and in Syria - in August-September. Pregnancy lasts 6-7 months. Females usually give birth in June - July, after the rainy season. There are 2, less often 3 cubs in a litter, sometimes up to 6. Cubs are born sighted and covered with hair; after a few hours they leave the brood nest. They begin to consume solid food at 2 weeks, become independent at 10 weeks. Young hyraxes reach sexual maturity at 16 months; at the age of 16-24 months, young males disperse, females usually stay with their family group.

Life expectancy in nature is 10 years. Females live much longer than males.

Young hyraxes in captivity are tamed, adult animals remain vicious and aggressive.

Feed branch food, vegetables and fruits.