HyracoideaHyracoidea is a taxonomic order of mammals. It includes the living hyraxes, placed within the family Procaviidae, and several extinct taxa. All modern hyraxes are members of the family Procaviidae (the only living family within Hyracoidea) and are found only in Africa and the Middle East. In the past, however, hyraxes were more diverse and widespread.
Yellow-spotted rock hyraxThe yellow-spotted rock hyrax or bush hyrax (Heterohyrax brucei) is a species of hyrax 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.
Rock hyraxThe rock hyrax (; Procavia capensis), also called dassie, Rickaz, Cape hyrax, rock rabbit, or coney (in early English Bible translations), is a medium-sized terrestrial hyrax native to Africa and the Middle East. Commonly called the dassie in South Africa (; Afrikaans: klipdassie), it is one of the five living species of the orderHyracoidea, and the only one in the genus Procavia. Rock hyraxes weigh 4–5 kg (8.8–11.0 lb) and have short ears.
MammalClass of animals with milk-producing glandsA mammal (from Latin mamma 'breast') is a vertebrate animal of the classMammalia (). Mammals are characterized by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones. These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds, from which their ancestors diverged in the Carboniferous period over 300 million years ago.
ElephantElephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the African forest elephant (L. cyclotis), and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons.
SireniaThe Sirenia ( ), commonly referred to as sea cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorousmammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters.
PikaA pika ( ) is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal native to Asia and North America. With short limbs, a very round body, an even coat of fur, and no external tail, they resemble their close relative the rabbit, but with short, rounded ears. The large-eared pika of the Himalayas and nearby mountains lives at elevations of more than 6,000 m (20,000 ft).
InselbergAn inselberg or monadnock ( ) is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. If the inselberg is dome-shaped and formed from granite or gneiss, it can also be called a bornhardt, though not all bornhardts are inselbergs.
Family (taxonomy)Family (Latin: familia, pl.: familiae) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus.
MarmotMarmots are large ground squirrels in the genusMarmota, with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, when they hibernate underground. They are the heaviest and largest members of the squirrel family.
Order (taxonomy)Order (Latin: ) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. Like the other ranks, orders reflect shared ancestry; for example, all owls belong to the order Strigiformes. In biological classification systems, orders and their usage are defined by nomenclature codes. An immediately higher rank, superorder, is sometimes added directly above order, with suborder directly beneath order.
Ancient GreekAncient Greek (Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ [hellɛːnikɛ̌ː]) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (c. 1400 – c. 1200 BC), Dark Ages (c. 1200 – c. 800 BC), the Archaic or Homeric period (c. 800 – c. 500 BC), and the Classical period (c. 500 – c. 300 BC).
ὕραξRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.