Detachment of hyrax (hyracoidea). Israeli relatives of African elephants The closest relatives of hyrax elephants

25.10.2019

The appearance of the hyrax is deceptive, this fluffy animal resembles an overgrown guinea pig or a rabbit that has lost its tail with small rounded ears. However, hyraxes have nothing to do with the numerous detachment of rodents. As herbivores, hyraxes are closest to primitive ungulates, and among ungulates, their closest relatives are elephants. It is believed that their sharp incisors are modified remains of tusks.

Flickr/Joachim S. Müller

To comb its thick brown-gray coat, the hyrax uses a long, curved claw located on the inside of its hind legs. The soles of hyraxes are covered with thick, rough, rubber-like skin. Sticky sweat is released from special glands on the feet, thanks to which the feet work like suction cups, allowing the animal to easily and freely move along steep rocks, including upside down.

Flickr/Rainbirder

Damans are extremely careful. They gather in groups of about 50 individuals living in natural rock crevices. In each group there are observers who carefully monitor the environment. Seeing a person or an animal, these "sentinels" emit a piercing cry, and the entire colony scatters in burrows with lightning speed.

Hyraxes have good vocal abilities, their repertoire includes chirping, growling, whistling, loud screams. Sometimes at night, groups arrange a roll call with neighbors - it all starts with a barely audible squeak or whistle, which gradually turns into a pig squeal, then turning into sounds similar to the crying of a child.

Flickr/koller93

Damans make the most noise when climbing a tree or descending from it. On a cold desert night, hyraxes gather together, cuddling up to each other to keep warm, and in the hot time of the day they sit comfortably in the shade of trees, raising their paws to the top.

Flickr/Arno & Louise Wildlife

Animals communicate with each other using a rich set of sounds, from dull clucks to whistles, with which the sentinel warns comrades looking for food of danger. With the help of songs, the animals mark the boundaries of the territory, confirm their social status and declare their marriage intentions.

And in these songs, zoologists from the University of Haifa (Israel) discovered a strange thing, even more amazing than the kinship of hyraxes with elephants.

Each song consists of a repeating roulade of 20–30 syllables. The performance can last 10 minutes, and the sequence of sounds and pauses in the "number" is strictly thought out. Studying the vocal abilities of hyraxes, the scientists did not match the songs of hyraxes from different colonies, and the farther the animals live from each other, the stronger their vocal-linguistic differences analyzed recordings of more than 200 songs. Each repeating figure was decomposed into letters, where each letter represented one of the five types of sounds. The resulting scores were then compared, and the mathematical algorithm used was the same one used to evaluate the similarity of two DNA strands. It turned out that the vocal phrases of hyraxes from different colonies differ in syntax, and the farther apart the colonies are, the stronger these differences are.

As scientists write in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the human ear will not hear any difference, but if we correlate the differences with the structure of the songs, then the hyraxes should fix them well. It really looks like a territorial dialect, and if we draw parallels with the human language, then not every Russian will be able to distinguish dialects of Germans, English or Chinese by ear. Surprisingly, no one imagined such a level of language complexity in such ancient and not very developed mammals. So far, dialectal features in communication have been noted only in primates, cetaceans, and bats. Now the researchers want to find out how plastic hyrax songs are in general and whether they can convey any other extraneous information.

Hyraxes are diurnal animals, they spend their time climbing rocks and gorges or jumping from branch to branch in search of fresh succulent leaves, fruits of trees and shrubs. The daman will not refuse from an accidentally encountered insect. From hoofed relatives, the hyrax has left the habit of chewing, although in fact, chewing is mistaken for the movement of his lips at the time when he carefully sniffs at something.

Flickr/AnyMotion

To attract the fair sex, hyrax males have a special device - the dorsal gland, which secretes a strong-smelling liquid during the breeding season. Young males and females also have such a gland, but smaller.

These cautious animals living south of the Sahara, as well as in Syria and Israel, have many enemies - leopards, pythons, steppe lynxes (caracals), servals and viverras hunt for hyraxes. The personal enemy of the hyrax can be called the black African eagle, which prefers to feed exclusively on hyraxes.

Hyraxes are small animals that look a bit like wild rabbits. But only a little. According to their evolutionary development, their closest relative is ... an elephant. Yes, yes, it is an elephant, and also a rhinoceros, and also a horse, a zebra and a donkey. And this is because hyraxes, although the smallest on Earth, are still hoofed animals.

In other matters, the hyrax was confused with the rabbit more than once. For example, Spain owes its name to hyraxes. The Phoenicians, when they first sailed to the Iberian Peninsula, saw there a lot of rabbits that they had never seen before. And they took them for hyraxes living in abundance in their homeland. “Shapan” in Phoenician is a daman, “i-shapan” is an island of hyraxes. Then the pronunciation changed the words to gi-spania and, finally, Spain.

Damans are the children of mountains. Their element is bare sheer cliffs. They deftly climb them, forming entire colonies and frolicking to their heart's content. But as soon as someone notices the enemy - a mongoose, a wild cat or a python, they immediately squeal loudly and rush into the crevices with a clatter, thus warning everyone around about the danger. Lizards, baboons and many other peaceful animals find good neighbors in hyraxes. Their keen eyes (a person can be seen at a distance of more than a kilometer) and excellent hearing ensure the safety of everyone around.

In deep crevices, hyraxes make wool nests, where females bring out 3-6 babies, quite large and quite developed. Literally, as soon as the baby dries up after birth, he is already ready to climb rocks together with adults. An interesting fact is that in the event of the death of a female, the cubs are adopted by other females.

In addition to rock hyraxes, which I just talked about, there are also several types of forest ones. These animals preferred the forests of Central Africa to the rocks. They practically do not get off the trees, finding there both housing and food. Although, for the sake of truth, it should be noted that all hyraxes climb trees well - both forest and rock ones. All species have three toes on the hind legs and four on the front. On all fingers there are small hooves, except for the middle one, and then only on the hind legs. There, hyraxes have claws instead of hooves, which allow them to hold on to the tree more tightly.

The difference between forest hyraxes and mountain hyraxes is also that the former are monogamous (they live in families - a female, a male and children), and the latter are polygamous, like the "grandfather" of an elephant, a daman male has a harem of several females.

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Hyraxes are a family of small, stocky, herbivorous mammals with 4 species.

The only family of monotypic order Hyracoidea.

They live in Africa and the Middle East.

Despite the ordinary appearance of modern hyraxes, they have a distant prehistoric origin.

Hyraxes are the closest relatives of modern elephants.

general description

These are animals the size of a domestic cat: body length from 30 to 60-65 cm, weight from 1.5 to 4.5 kg.

The tail is rudimentary (1-3 cm) or absent.

In appearance, hyraxes resemble rodents - tailless marmots or large guinea pigs - but are phylogenetically closest to elephants.

Their physique is dense, awkward, with a large head on a short thick neck and short but strong legs.

The muzzle is short, with a forked upper lip.

The ears are rounded, small, sometimes almost hidden in the coat. The limbs are plantigrade.

The forelimbs are 5-toed with flattened claws resembling hooves.

The hind limbs are three-toed; the inner finger bears a long, curved nail that serves to comb hair, and the other fingers carry hoof-shaped claws.

The soles of the paws are bare, covered with a thick rubbery epidermis; on their surface, numerous ducts of sweat glands open, which constantly moisturize the skin.

The central part of the arch of each foot can be lifted by special muscles, creating a kind of suction cup. Wet skin enhances suction.

Thanks to this adaptation, hyraxes can climb steep rocks and tree trunks with great dexterity and speed, and even descend from them upside down.

In the middle of the back there is a section of elongated, lighter or darker hair, in the center of which there is a bare area.

On its surface, the ducts of a special glandular field open - the spinal gland of 7-8 lobes, formed by hypertrophied sebaceous and sweat glands.

The gland secretes a secret that smells strongly during the breeding season.

In young hyraxes, the gland is undeveloped or poorly developed; in females it is less than in males.

When frightened or excited, the hair covering the gland rises upright. The exact purpose of the gland is unknown.

There are 34 permanent teeth in adult hyraxes, and 28 milk teeth.

The incisors of the upper jaw are constantly growing, rather widely spaced and resemble the incisors of rodents.

Fangs are absent. The premolars and molars are similar to the teeth of ungulates.

Skull with rather massive lower jaw. Nipples: 1 pair of chest and 2 pairs of inguinal or 1 pair of axillary and 1-2 - inguinal.

Lifestyle

Distributed in Africa south of the Sahara, as well as in the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas, in Syria and Israel.

Genus representatives Procavia and Heterohyrax- diurnal animals, live in colonies of 5-60 individuals in arid savannahs and on stony placers, rising to mountains up to a height of 4500 m above sea level.

Representatives of the genus Dendrohyrax- nocturnal forest animals, live alone and in families. All hyraxes are very mobile, able to run fast, jump and climb steep rocks and trees. Well developed vision and hearing.

Hyraxes are distinguished by poorly developed thermoregulation - at night they gather together to keep warm, and during the day, like reptiles, they bask in the sun for a long time.

At the same time, they lift up the soles of their paws, on which the sweat glands are located.

The secreted sticky sweat helps hyraxes to climb.

Hyraxes are very cautious and, like European ground squirrels, at the sight of danger, they emit a sharp high-pitched cry, forcing the entire colony to hide in shelters.

Herbivorous. They feed mainly on plant foods, occasionally eating insects and their larvae.

In search of food, they can go up to a distance of 1-3 km. They don't need water.

Unlike many other herbivorous hyraxes, they do not have developed incisors and help themselves with molars when feeding.

Chewing gum, unlike artiodactyls or kangaroos, is not chewed; food is digested in their complex, multi-chambered stomachs.

There is apparently no seasonality in reproduction.

Pregnancy lasts 7-7.5 months. The female brings 1-3, sometimes up to 6 cubs, once a year.

Cubs are born well developed, with open eyes; able to run fast.

After 2 weeks, they begin to eat vegetable food.

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Helpful information

daman
lat. Procaviidae
Hebrew שפניים
Arab. وَبَريَات
English Hyrax

Origin of hyraxes

The oldest fossil remains of hyraxes date back to the late Eocene (40 million years ago).

For many millions of years, the ancestors of hyraxes were the main terrestrial herbivores in Africa, until competition with bovids forced them out of their former ecological niche in the Miocene.

Nevertheless, hyraxes remained a numerous and widespread detachment for a long time, inhabiting most of Africa, Asia and Southern Europe in the Pliocene.

Phylogenetically, modern hyraxes are closest to the proboscis, with which they have many similarities in the structure of teeth, skeleton and placenta.

There is an opinion that the “hares” mentioned in the Bible, denoted by the word “shafan” ( shaphan), were actually hyraxes.

From afar, they really resemble large rabbits.

From Hebrew, this word passed into the language of the Phoenicians, who, apparently, mistook the rabbits of the Iberian Peninsula for damans, giving the country its name. I-Shapan-im, Damanov Coast.

Later, from this name came the Latin Hispania and modern "Spain".

The very name "daman" is of Arabic origin and literally means "ram".

Classification

Until recently, the hyrax family included up to 10-11 species belonging to 4 genera. After 1995, the number of species was reduced to just 4:

Daman family ( Procaviidae)
- Genus Tree hyraxes ( Dendrohyrax)
  - tree hyrax ( Dendrohyrax arboreus)
  - Western hyrax ( Dendrohyrax dorsalis)
- Genus Mountain hyraxes ( Heterohyrax)
Rod Rocky hyraxes ( Procavia)
- Cape hyrax ( Procavia capensis)

general description

Their physique is dense, awkward, with a large head on a short thick neck and short but strong legs. The muzzle is short, with a forked upper lip. The ears are rounded, small, sometimes almost hidden in the coat. The limbs are plantigrade. The forelimbs are 5-toed with flattened claws resembling hooves. The hind limbs are three-toed; the inner finger bears a long, curved nail that serves to comb hair, and the other fingers carry hoof-shaped claws. The soles of the feet are bare, covered with a thick, rubbery epidermis; on their surface, numerous sweat gland ducts open, which constantly moisturize the skin. The central part of the arch of each foot can be lifted by special muscles, creating a kind of suction cup. Wet skin enhances suction. Thanks to this adaptation, hyraxes can climb steep rocks and tree trunks with great dexterity and speed, and even descend from them upside down.

The fur of hyraxes is thick, formed by soft fluff and coarse awn. The color is usually brownish-gray. Tufts of long vibrissae grow on the body (especially on the muzzle above the eyes and on the neck). In the middle of the back there is a section of elongated, lighter or darker hair, in the center of which there is a bare area. On its surface, the ducts of a special glandular field open - the dorsal gland of 7-8 lobes, formed by hypertrophied sebaceous and sweat glands. The gland secretes a secret that smells strongly during the breeding season. In young hyraxes, the gland is undeveloped or poorly developed; in females it is less than in males. When frightened or excited, the hair covering the gland rises upright. The exact purpose of the gland is unknown.

There are 34 permanent teeth in adult hyraxes, 28 milk teeth. Upper jaw incisors with constant growth, rather widely spaced and reminiscent of rodent incisors. Fangs are absent. The premolars and molars are similar to the teeth of ungulates. Skull with rather massive lower jaw. Nipples: 1 pair of chest and 2 pairs of inguinal or 1 pair of axillary and 1-2 - inguinal.

Lifestyle

Distributed in Africa south of the Sahara, as well as in the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas, in Syria and Israel. Genus representatives Procavia and Heterohyrax- diurnal animals, live in colonies of 5-60 individuals in arid savannahs and on stony placers, rising to mountains up to a height of 4500 m above sea level. Representatives of the genus Dendrohyrax- nocturnal forest animals, live alone and in families. All hyraxes are very mobile, able to run fast, jump and climb steep rocks and trees. Well developed vision and hearing. Hyraxes are distinguished by poorly developed thermoregulation - at night they get together to keep warm, and during the day, like reptiles, they bask in the sun for a long time. At the same time, they lift up the soles of their paws, on which the sweat glands are located. The secreted sticky sweat helps hyraxes to climb. Hyraxes are very cautious and, like European ground squirrels, at the sight of danger, they emit a sharp high-pitched cry, forcing the entire colony to hide in shelters.

Herbivorous. They feed mainly on plant foods, occasionally eating insects and their larvae. In search of food, they can go up to a distance of 1-3 km. They don't need water. Unlike many other herbivorous hyraxes, they do not have developed incisors and help themselves with molars when feeding. Chewing gum, unlike artiodactyls or kangaroos, is not chewed; food is digested in their complex, multi-chambered stomachs.

There is apparently no seasonality in reproduction. Pregnancy lasts 7-7.5 months. The female brings 1-3, sometimes up to 6 cubs, once a year. Cubs are born well developed, with open eyes; able to run fast. After 2 weeks, they begin to eat vegetable food.

Origin of hyraxes

The oldest fossil remains of damans date back to the late Eocene (40 million years ago). For many millions of years, the ancestors of hyraxes were the main terrestrial herbivores in Africa, until competition with bovids forced them out of their former ecological niche in the Miocene. Nevertheless, hyraxes remained a numerous and widespread detachment for a long time, inhabiting most of Africa, Asia and Southern Europe in the Pliocene.

Phylogenetically, modern hyraxes are closest to the proboscis, with which they have many similarities in the structure of teeth, skeleton and placenta.

There is an opinion that the “hares” mentioned in the Bible, denoted by the word “shafan” ( shaphan), were actually hyraxes. From afar, they really resemble large rabbits. From Hebrew, this word passed into the language of the Phoenicians, who, apparently, mistook the rabbits of the Iberian Peninsula for hyraxes, giving the country its name I-Shapan-im, Damanov Coast. Later, from this name came the Latin Hispania and modern "Spain". The very name "daman" is of Arabic origin and literally means "ram"

Classification

Until recently, the order of hyraxes included up to 10-11 species belonging to 4 genera. After the year, the number of species was reduced to only 4:

Detachment Damana(lat. Hyracoidea )
- Damana family(lat. Procaviidae)
  - Genus: tree hyraxes (lat. Dendrohyrax)
    - Southern tree hyrax (lat. Dendrohyrax arboreus )
    - Western tree hyrax (lat. Dendrohyrax dorsalis )
  - Genus: Mountain (gray) hyrax (lat. Heterocxyrax)
    - Yellow-spotted or mountain hyrax (Bruce's hyrax) (lat.Heterohyrax brucei)
  - Genus: Procavia
    - Cape hyrax (lat.Procavia capensis)

Notes

Links

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See what "Damana" is in other dictionaries:

Zhiryaki (Hyracoidea), a detachment of placental mammals of the superorder Ungulates. Known from below. Oligocene of Africa and lower. Pliopen Europe. Length body 30 60 cm, weight from 1.5 to 4.5 kg. Ext. they look like rodents, but phylogenetically, probably closer to ... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

Modern Encyclopedia

- (zhiryaki) detachment of ungulate mammals. They look like rodents. Body length 30 60 cm, tail 1 3 cm. 11 species, in Western Asia and Africa (excluding the northern part). Some hyraxes live in forests on trees, others in mountainous, rocky areas ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

hyraxes- DAMANS, a detachment of mammals. They belong to ungulates, but outwardly resemble rodents. Body length 30 60 cm, tail 1 3 cm, weight up to 3 kg. 7 species, in Western Asia and Africa (excluding the northern part). Some hyraxes live in forests (on trees), others in ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Order of ungulate mammals. They look like rodents. Body length 30 60 cm, tail 1 3 cm. Seven species, in Western Asia and Africa (excluding the northern part). Some hyraxes live in forests on trees, others in mountainous, rocky areas. * * * DAMANS… encyclopedic Dictionary

hyraxes- Cape hyraxes. hyraxes (Hyracoidea), order of mammals. Body length up to 60 (for most, it is indistinguishable from the outside), weight up to 4.5 kg. The flattened nails on the limbs look like hooves (on the hind legs one finger has a long claw). 3 genera with ... ... Encyclopedic reference book "Africa"

hyraxes- damanai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas būrys apibrėžtis Būryje 1 šeima. atitikmenys: lot. Hyracoidea English. hyraxes vok. Schliefer; Schlieftiere rus. hyrax pranc. damans; hyraciens; hyracoïd'es ryšiai: siauresnis terminas - ... Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

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 bare soles, and the central part of 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 the inner surface and resembles rodent incisors. 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 species of hyraxes live on rocks, climbing mountain slopes 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. The voices of tree hyraxes of different species are well distinguished. 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 hair, 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. Local residents catch damans everywhere, as the meat of these animals is of 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 of the hot African day, hyraxes spend motionless, lying on stones, spreading their paws to the sides and turning their soles up, apparently this typical posture is due to the fact that hyraxes have sweat glands only on the 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 a high temperature, since their thermoregulation is poorly developed.

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.

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- in the taxonomy of animals - a category subordinate to the class and subdivided into this. Sometimes several O. are combined into a superorder or O. are divided into suborders ...
Geological Encyclopedia
- Zhiryaki, a detachment of primitive herbivorous mammals. Body length 30-60 cm, tail 1-3 cm, weigh up to 4.5 kg. In appearance and structure of the teeth, they resemble rodents, in origin they are close to elephants ...
- Order I in the taxonomy of animals, a taxonomic category that unites several families. Close O. make up the Class ...
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- detachment of ungulate mammals. They look like rodents. Body length 30-60 cm, tail 1-3 cm. 11 species, in Asia Minor and Africa. Some hyraxes live in forests on trees, others live in mountainous, rocky areas ...
- in biology - a taxonomic category in the taxonomy of animals. Families are grouped into orders. For example, the wolf, raccoon, marten, cat, and other families form a detachment of predatory ...
Big encyclopedic dictionary
- in military affairs, 1) a temporary or permanent military formation created to carry out any combat or special task ...
Big encyclopedic dictionary
- ; pl. squad / dy, R ....
Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language
- Formed from the verb iti - "equip", ascending to the basis of the series. Literally "disengaged"...
Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by Krylov

"DAMANA SQUAD (HYRACOIDEA)" in books

Order Insectivores

From the book Mammals author

Order Insectivores This order includes hedgehogs, moles, shrews. These are small animals with a small brain, the hemispheres of which do not have furrows and convolutions. The teeth are poorly differentiated. Most insectivores have an elongated muzzle with a small proboscis.