''Pedetes'' is a
genus of
rodent, the springhares, in the family
Pedetidae. Members of the genus are distributed across southern and Eastern Africa.
Species
A number of species both extant and extinct are classified in the genus ''Pedetes''. They include:
*
South African springhare or ''springhaas'' (''Pedetes capensis'')
*
East African springhare (''Pedetes surdaster'')
* ''Pedetes laetoliensis''
(Davies, 1987) (
Pliocene fossil)
Throughout the 20th century, the living species (and occasionally the prehistoric one) were merged into ''P. capensis'', making the genus
monotypic.
Ecology
These rodents are generally
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
and sleep through the day in burrows they dig. They feed on foliage, roots and other vegetable matter, and occasionally
arthropods. Outside the burrow they usually move around by hopping on their hind legs.
When only one springhare species was recognized, it was listed as vulnerable by the
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
in 1996 due to an approximately 20% decrease in the population over the previous ten years. This has been caused by intense hunting and the loss of habitat. However, the negative trend has not persisted, and both species are now listed as Species of Least Concern. The coat of these rodents is known to glow a fluorescent color when viewed under black light.
Vocalisations
This rodent has a range of vocalizations at its disposal. They can grunt and pleat. They also have a piping contact call.
See also
*
Hopping mouse
A hopping mouse is any of about ten different Australian native mice in the genus ''Notomys''. They are rodents, not marsupials, and their ancestors are thought to have arrived from Asia about 5 million years ago.
All are brown or fawn, fading ...
– a similar
murid rodent native to Australia; an example of
parallel evolution
*
Jerboa – a similar
dipodid rodent native to northern Africa and Asia
*
Jumping mouse
Zapodidae, the jumping mice, is a family of mouse-like rodents in North America and China.
Although mouse-like in general appearance, these rodents are distinguished by their elongated hind limbs, and, typically, by the presence of four pairs o ...
– a non-desert-dwelling
dipodid rodent native to China and North America
*
Kangaroo mouse and
kangaroo rat
Kangaroo rats, small mostly nocturnal rodents of genus ''Dipodomys'', are native to arid areas of western North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form. They hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, but developed thi ...
– similar
heteromyid
Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within the gen ...
rodents of North America
*
Kultarr – an unrelated
marsupial with a similar body plan and coloration; an example of
convergence
References
Further reading
Taxonomy browserBiodiversity Library
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3027980
Rodent genera
Taxa named by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger
