Physical
characteristics
The hyrax also called rabbit is a small funny mammal. It
looks like a robust a rabbit with rounded ears and no tail. Hyraxes have stumpy
toes with hoof like nails, four toes on each front foot and three on each back
foot. The longer claw like nails on the
inside toes of the back feet are used for grooming and scratching. The bottom
of the feet has a rubbery texture to assist in climbing step rock surface and
trees.
It is distributed every where and its coat is yellowish or
grayish brown and the dorsal spot is covered with black or yellow hair. Its
head is more rounded than other types of hyraxes and the nose is blunt.
The yellow spotted hyrax or rock rabbit is small in size and
has a more pointed rodent like nose various species of hyraxes they don’t
interbreed. The three hyraxes unsurprisingly, spend a lot of time in trees. In
some areas they are hunted for their thick soft, long hair. They have a white
or yellow dorsal spot.
Habitat
Hyraxes are very adoptable. They live at sea level and up to
altitudes of over 14,000 feet and in habitats ranging from dry savanna to dense
rainforest to cold region.
Behavior
Rock hyraxes do not
dig burrows. They live in colonies of 50 fifty. They regularly use latrines and
in areas they inhabit, conspicuous with deposits from their urine on rock
faces. They are active in the daytime and can be seen feeding or sunning
themselves near their entrances to their shelters. Hyrax vocalizations include
twitter growls, whistles and shrieks. One group while the other answers the
call of another group. The hyraxes do most of their screaming as they ascend or
descend trees during the night.
The tree hyrax is nocturnal and most not as social as the
rock hyraxes. They are often found in pairs and do not form much longer groups.
Naturally, they are shy, hyraxes in captivity become quite tame. Their habit of
using latrines and eating a variety of vegetative materials make them easy to
keep. They have been recorded as living a long as 12 years.
Diet
Rock hyraxes spend several hours in sunbathing in the
morning, followed by short excursion to feed; they eat quickly with the family
group facing out from a circle to watch for potential predators, feeding on
grasses, leaves, fruits, insects, lizards and bird eggs. They can go a long time without water,
apparently obtaining enough moisture from their food.
Trees hyraxes feed on leaves and fruits.
Caring for the
young ones
Rock hyraxes bear two or three young ones, which are so
fully developed they can run and jump about an hour after birth. They suckle
until 3 months old. The young begin to eat vegetation by their second day. The
young of all females in a family group often gather in a nursery group. The
tree hyrax has fewer young than rock hyraxes, but they have many behavior
traits, such as always defecating and urinating on the same spot.
Predators
Hyraxes are preyed upon by leopards, python, large birds,
caracals, servals and civets. They protect themselves from smaller predators by
biting, but escaping to hiding places amongst the rocks is best defense.
Rock hyraxes live in group with one territory male and up to
20 females and their young. Several groups may live in one area, but each male
defends his territory from other males.
Peter K.
Philip
Adventure Kenya camping safaris,
Natural
Track Safaris
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