The rock hyrax is commonly referred to in South African English as the dassie. It is a mammal that is closely related to elephants and manatees (despite huge differences in size and appearance).
1. Rock Hyraxes spends about 95% of it’s time sun-bathing. This is to compensate for their poorly developed thermoregulation. They tend to stay in their burrows until the sun is high in the morning and may not leave their dens at all on cold, rainy days.
2. They have multi-chambered stomachs, which makes me think of cows. They have three-chambered stomachs that help break down the plants they eat.
3. They have a pair of tusks or rather long, pointed tusk-like incisors. Maybe as a result of being related to elephants and manatees. And dassies, like elephants, have flattened, hoof-like nails on the tips of their toes, rather than the curved claws seen on some other mammals.
4. Rock hyraxes have padded, sweaty feet. Rock hyrax feet have black, rubbery pads that are moistened by numerous sweat glands. The pads lift up in the center for a suction cup-like effect that helps them keep their grip on rocky surfaces.
5. And lastly, a very weird fact is that they have a smelly gland on their backs for communication and territorial marking.
What do you thing of these “dassies”?
Do you think they are rodents or cute furry animals?
Interesting facts about these animals.
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They have the cutest angry faces I have seen.
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They look cute and cuddly but they can be quite vicious.
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These little fellas are so cute! I’ve never heard of them. Thanks for sharing!
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You are welcome! They are not found everywhere and seem to love dryer, rocky places. They are mostly in Africa and the Middle East
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This animal has a great presence in South Africa,,,well treated and this is the exact climate for them!!!
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Definitely. The rocky Western Cape area is ther haven!
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This blog earned a Bean Pat as blog pick of the day. Check it out at: http://patbean.wordpress.com
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Thank you so much!!!
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[…] Bean Pat: Things you might not have known. I did know this, because I saw one in Africa. https://janalinesworldjourney.com/2018/01/05/things-you-probably-never-knew-about-dassies-rock-hyrax… […]
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Thank you!!
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I had never heard of this animal before – interesting. I understand it is hunted for eating but also for being a threat to other grazing animals. I looked it up and found the threat to be overrated. I think they look cute.
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I agree Leya, they do look very cute aqnd cuddly.
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I have never even heard of this animal before – what country r u in?
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I am currently in South-Africa where there are a lot of them around, and I have also seen them in Israel in rocky areas. They are found across Africa and the Middle east.
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