Bridges's degu (''Octodon bridgesii'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are roden ...

in the family ''

Octodontidae Octodontidae is a family of rodents, restricted to southwestern South America. Fourteen species of octodontid are recognised, arranged in seven genera. The best known species is the common degu, ''Octodon degus''. Octodontids are medium-sized ...

''. It is found in southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

. The species was named after Thomas Bridges.

Taxonomy

Ricardo Ojeda's degu (''O. ricardojedai''), which is found in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

and

, was formerly considered a population of ''O. bridgesii'', but was described as a distinct species in 2020.

Biology and physiology

Unlike its close relative, the

common degu The common degu (''Octodon degus''; ), or, historically, the degu, is a small hystricomorpha rodent endemic to the Chilean matorral ecoregion of central Chile. The name ''degu'' on its own indicates either the entire genus '' Octodon'' or, mo ...

, Bridges' degu is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

. Bridges's degu has deep molar indentations and has a deep fold on the inside of the last molar.

Habitat

The species is less widely distributed in

than the common degu and inhabits rocky, forested areas and some open farmland, although it is far less well adapted for digging but does have some climbing ability.

Deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then land conversion, converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban area, urban ...

may be contributing to the decline of this species.

References

Octodon Mammals of Patagonia Mammals of Chile Mammals described in 1845 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN Endemic fauna of Chile {{rodent-stub