| Southern tree hyrax [1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Hyracoidea |
| Family: | Procaviidae |
| Genus: | Dendrohyrax |
| Species: | D. arboreus |
| Binomial name | |
| Dendrohyrax arboreus | |
 | |
| Southern tree hyrax range | |
The southern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus), also known as the southern tree dassie, is a species of mammal in the family Procaviidae. [4] The southern tree hyrax is mainly found in the south central eastern side of Africa.
The southern tree hyrax has a guinea pig-like appearance. It has long, soft, grey-brown fur that covers the body, while the underside is paler. Hairs are lighter near their tips and the ears have a fringe of white hair. They weigh about 2.27 kg (5.0 lb) on average, and have an average length of 52 cm (20 in). [5] [6]
It is found in Angola, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, moist savanna, and rocky areas. It may be found at elevations up to 4,500 m (14,800 ft). [7] [8]
The tree hyrax lives in trees and is mostly nocturnal, as opposed to the rock hyrax which lives among rocks and is mainly diurnal. It occurs singly, in pairs or in small groups, favouring hollow trees and dense foliage. Tree hyrax are extremely able climbers with remarkable balancing skills, they do walk on the ground, but will often 'bounce' along rapidly then stop and then move rapidly again to get to the next piece of cover. Its extraordinary call, heard mainly at night, is a series of blood-curdling shrieks building up to a crescendo. These territorial calls are produced mainly by the males. [9]
Martial and tawny eagles, leopards, lions, jackals, spotted hyenas, and snakes prey upon the southern tree hyrax. In Rwanda, the most common predators are feral dogs. The limited amount of time the hyrax spends on the ground at night may be a predator avoidance strategy. Humans sometimes also eat the hyrax. [10]
The eastern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax validus) was given ecological classification Near Threatened (NT) in 2015. [11]
The southern tree hyrax is a herbivore. It consumes many different parts of the plants such as the leaves, petioles, twigs, shoots, fleshy fruit, and hard seeds. [12] Individual species are too many to list, but include Hagenia abyssinica , Hypericum revolutum , and Podocarpus falcatus . [8]
Milner and Harris reported that they were unable to determine the mating system but speculated that it may be facultative monogamy/polygyny. [8]
After a gestation period of 7 months, 1–2 young are born. At birth they are well developed and they weigh 170–200 grams (6.0–7.1 oz). In rescue conditions they can put on around 4% weight gain per day on a cows milk formula, however some youngsters do not thrive on this formula.
Very young hyraxes have poor coordination. At an estimated age of under one week they cannot follow their mothers along a branch, but their mobility skills develop rapidly. Within two weeks they will use a midden. They will eat a diverse range of leaves, shoots, bark, fruit, and flowers. Youngsters appear to learn what leaves to eat by both watching and tasting what the adult is chewing.
At about five months their fur develops darker spots often around guard hairs. The southern tree hyrax reaches maturity at about 12 months old. [4]
As of 2018 [update] , the most recent treatment of the genus Dendrohyrax retains D. validus as a full species. [13] [11]
Paenungulata is a clade of "sub-ungulates", which groups three extant mammal orders: Proboscidea, Sirenia, and Hyracoidea (hyraxes). At least two more possible orders are known only as fossils, namely Embrithopoda and Desmostylia.
The South African springhare is a medium-sized terrestrial and burrowing rodent. Despite the name, it is not a hare. It is one of two extant species in the genus Pedetes, and is native to southern Africa. Formerly, the genus was considered monotypic and the East African springhare was included in P. capensis.
The sitatunga or marshbuck is a swamp-dwelling medium-sized antelope found throughout central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, parts of Southern Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Ghana, Botswana, Rwanda, Zambia, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The sitatunga is mostly confined to swampy and marshy habitats. Here they occur in tall and dense vegetation as well as seasonal swamps, marshy clearings in forests, riparian thickets and mangrove swamps.
The maned rat or (African) crested rat is a nocturnal, long-haired and bushy-tailed East African rodent that superficially resembles a porcupine. The world's only known poisonous rodent, the maned rat sequesters toxins from plants to fend off predators.
The rock hyrax, also called dassie, Cape hyrax, rock rabbit, and coney, is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East. Commonly referred to in South Africa as the dassie, it is one of the five living species of the order Hyracoidea, and the only one in the genus Procavia. Rock hyraxes weigh 4–5 kg (8.8–11.0 lb) and have short ears.
The southern needle-clawed bushbaby is a species of strepsirrhine primate in the family Galagidae. Found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, and possibly Democratic Republic of the Congo, its natural habitat is tropical moist forests. While the species is not threatened or endangered, some local populations may be threatened by habitat destruction.
The Mohol bushbaby is a species of primate in the family Galagidae which is native to mesic woodlands of southern Africa. It is physically very similar to the Senegal bushbaby, and was formerly considered to be its southern variety. The two species differ markedly in their biology however, and no hybrids have been recorded in captivity.
The red bush squirrel or red-bellied coast squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, which is found in bush and forest along the eastern seaboard of Africa. It is closely related to P. lucifer, P. vexillarius and P. (p.) vincenti.
The Peters's epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is in riverine or evergreen forest, or moist woodland, where there are fruit-bearing trees.
The Angolan fruit bat, Angolan rousette or silky bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, moist savanna, and rocky areas.
The eloquent horseshoe bat is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, and caves.
The tree hyrax or tree dassie is a small nocturnal mammal native to Africa. Distantly related to elephants and sea cows, it comprises the four species in the genus Dendrohyrax, one of only three genera in the family Procaviidae, which is the only living family within the order Hyracoidea.
The western tree hyrax, also called the western tree dassie or Beecroft's tree hyrax, is a species of tree hyrax within the family Procaviidae. It can be distinguished from other hyraxes by short coarse fur, presence of white patch of fur beneath the chin, lack of hair on the rostrum, and lower crowns of the cheek teeth compared to other members of the same genus.
The yellow-spotted rock hyrax or bush hyrax is a species of mammal in the family Procaviidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, northern South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and rocky areas. Hyrax comes from the Greek word ὕραξ, or shrew-mouse.
Hyraxes, also called dassies, are small, stout, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. Hyraxes are well-furred, rotund animals with short tails. Modern hyraxes are typically between 30 and 70 cm in length and weigh between 2 and 5 kg. They are superficially similar to marmots, or over-large pikas, but are much more closely related to elephants and sirenians. Hyraxes have a life span from nine to 14 years. Both types of "rock" hyrax live on rock outcrops, including cliffs in Ethiopia and isolated granite outcrops called koppies in southern Africa.
The eastern tree hyrax is a species of mammal within the family Procaviidae. The eastern tree hyrax is the most localized of the tree hyrax species, distributed patchily in a narrow band of lowland and montane forests in Kenya and Tanzania and adjacent islands.
The squirrel galagos are a group of four species of strepsirrhine primates. They are classified in the genus Sciurocheirus of the family Galagidae.
The Benin tree hyrax is a species of tree hyrax within the family Procaviidae. It can be distinguished from neighboring Dendrohyrax dorsalis by its nighttime barking vocalizations, its shorter and broader skull, and its lighter pelage. Its range is the region between the Niger and Volta Rivers in West Africa, hence the specific epithet.
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