Octodontidae is a family of mammals in the order Rodentia and part of the Caviomorpha parvorder. Members of this family are called octodontids and include degus, rock rats, and viscacha rats. They are found in southern South America, primarily in forests, shrublands, and rocky areas, though some species can be found in savannas, grasslands, and wetlands. They range in size from the coruro, at 11 cm (4 in) plus a 4 cm (2 in) tail, to the mountain viscacha rat, at 33 cm (13 in) plus a 18 cm (7 in) tail. No octodontids have population estimates, but three species—the Pacific degu, golden viscacha rat, and Chalchalero viscacha rat—are categorized as critically endangered.
The 14 extant species of Octodontidae are divided into seven genera, which range in size from one to four species. Several extinct prehistoric octodontid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries, the exact number and categorization is not fixed. [1]
Conservation status | |
---|---|
EX | Extinct (0 species) |
EW | Extinct in the wild (0 species) |
CR | Critically endangered (3 species) |
EN | Endangered (0 species) |
VU | Vulnerable (1 species) |
NT | Near threatened (2 species) |
LC | Least concern (5 species) |
Other categories | |
DD | Data deficient (3 species) |
NE | Not evaluated (0 species) |
The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the octodontid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.
Octodontidae is a family consisting of fourteen extant species in seven genera. This does not include hybrid species or extinct prehistoric species.
Family Octodontidae
The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists. [3]
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chilean rock rat | A. fuscus (Waterhouse, 1842) | Eastern Chile ![]() | Size: 15–17 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 5–8 cm (2–3 in) tail [4] Habitat: Forest [5] Diet: Roots, fruit, and other vegetation [6] | LC
|
Porter's rock rat | A. porteri Thomas, 1917 | Eastern Chile and western Argentina | Size: 14–20 cm (6–8 in) long, plus 6–9 cm (2–4 in) tail [4] Habitat: Forest and rocky areas [7] Diet: Roots, fruit, and other vegetation [6] | DD
|
Sage's rock rat | A. sagei Pearson, 1984 | Central Chile![]() | Size: 14–16 cm (6 in) long, plus 5–7 cm (2–3 in) tail [4] Habitat: Forest and rocky areas [8] Diet: Roots, fruit, and other vegetation [6] | DD
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bridges's degu | O. bridgesii Waterhouse, 1845 | Central Chile | Size: 15–20 cm (6–8 in) long, plus 10–17 cm (4–7 in) tail [9] Habitat: Forest and shrubland [10] Diet: Grass, leaves, bark, herbs, seeds, and fruit, as well as dung [11] | VU
|
Common degu | O. degus (Molina, 1782) | Central Chile![]() | Size: 16–21 cm (6–8 in) long, plus 8–14 cm (3–6 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland [12] Diet: Grass, leaves, bark, herbs, seeds, and fruit, as well as dung [11] | LC
|
Moon-toothed degu | O. lunatus Osgood, 1943 | Central Chile![]() | Size: 16–22 cm (6–9 in) long, plus 15–17 cm (6–7 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland and rocky areas [13] Diet: Grass, leaves, bark, herbs, seeds, and fruit, as well as dung [11] | NT
|
Pacific degu | O. pacificus R. Hutterer, 1994 | Mocha Island in Chile![]() | Size: 12–20 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 16–17 cm (6–7 in) tail [9] Habitat: Forest [14] Diet: Grass, leaves, bark, herbs, seeds, and fruit, as well as dung [11] | CR
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mountain degu | O. gliroides (Gervais & d'Orbigny, 1844) | Northern Chile, southwestern Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina![]() | Size: 16–19 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 10–19 cm (4–7 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland, grassland, and rocky areas [15] Diet: Acacia seed pods and cactus fruits [11] | LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mountain viscacha rat | O. mimax Thomas, 1920 | Western Argentina | Size: 14–33 cm (6–13 in) long, plus 10–18 cm (4–7 in) tail [9] Habitat: Rocky areas [16] Diet: Roots, bark, and cactus [17] | LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Golden viscacha rat | P. aureus Mares, Braun, Barquez, & Díaz, 2000 | Northwestern Argentina | Size: 16–18 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 12–15 cm (5–6 in) tail [9] Habitat: Inland wetlands [18] Diet: Leaves and stems [19] | CR
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coruro | S. cyanus (Molina, 1782) Three subspecies
| Central Chile | Size: 11–17 cm (4–7 in) long, plus 4–6 cm (2 in) tail [4] Habitat: Forest, savanna and grassland [20] Diet: Tubers and stems of Leucocoryne and other plants [21] | LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chalchalero viscacha rat | T. loschalchalerosorum Mares, Braun, Barquez, & Díaz, 2000 | Northern Argentina | Size: 14–16 cm (6 in) long, plus 11–12 cm (4–5 in) tail [9] Habitat: Wetlands and shrublands [22] Diet: Leaves and stems [19] | CR
|
Kirchner's viscacha rat | T. kirchnerorum Teta, Pardiñas, Sauthier, & Gallardo, 2014 | Southern Argentina | Size: 11–14 cm (4–6 in) long, plus 11–12 cm (4–5 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland, grassland [23] Diet: Leaves and stems [19] | DD
|
Plains viscacha rat | T. barrerae (B. Lawrence, 1941) | Western Argentina![]() | Size: 12–16 cm (5–6 in) long, plus 9–15 cm (4–6 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland [24] Diet: Leaves and stems [19] | NT
|