Rock Hyrax

• It shares unusual anatomical features with the elephant, such as permanently growing incisor tusks.
• It eats a wide range of grasses, leaves and fruit.
• It lives among rocky outcrops and in deserts and savannah across much of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
• taxonomíaDespite looking like a rodent, its closest living relative is the elephant, with which it shares dental and skeletal features rarely seen in small mammals.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat and environment

Rocky outcrops, deserts and savannah across much of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, avoiding the Congo Basin and Madagascar

Birth weight

Born precocial, well furred and able to move soon after birth

Size at birth

Born precocial

Sexual maturity

16-17 months in the male

Gestation / incubation

7-8 months, according to recent studies

Litter / clutch size

1 to 6 young per litter (average 3)

Life expectancy in captivity

Documented record of up to 14.8 years

Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); bioRxiv (semen characterization study)

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.