Incredible, but true: the closest relative of the elephant lives in holes and climbs trees. Hyrax order (hyracoidea) Pictured is a mountain hyrax

Cape hyrax(Procavia capensis)

Class – Mammals

Squad – Damans

Family – Hyraxaceae

Genus – Rock hyraxes

Appearance

Externally, especially from a distance, they resemble large pikas or short-eared rabbits. Body length 30-58 cm, weight - 1.4-4 kg. Males are slightly larger than females. The tail is indistinguishable from the outside. The hairline is short and rather coarse; It is brownish-gray on top, lighter on the sides, and creamy on the underparts. The color of the hair on the dorsal gland is black, less often pale yellow or orange. On the muzzle there are black vibrissae up to 18 cm long. The forelimbs are plantigrade, the hind limbs are semi-digital. The soles are always wet due to strong sweating, which helps hyraxes climb rocks - the peculiar structure of the feet makes them act like suction cups.

Habitat

Distributed from Syria, Israel and Northeast Africa to South Africa. Found almost everywhere south of the Sahara. Isolated populations are found in the mountains of Libya and Algeria.

In nature

Cape hyraxes inhabit rocks, large rocky placers, outcrops or rocky shrubby deserts. Shelter is found among stones or in empty burrows of other animals (aardvarks, meerkat). They live in colonies of 5-6 to 80 individuals. Large colonies are divided into family groups, led by an adult male. Cape and mountain hyraxes sometimes live in mixed groups, occupying the same shelters. They are active during the daylight hours, especially in the morning and evening, but sometimes come to the surface on warm moonlit nights. They spend most of the day resting and basking in the sun - poorly developed thermoregulation causes the body temperature of hyraxes to fluctuate throughout the day. They feed mainly on grass, fruits, shoots and bark of shrubs; They eat animal food (locusts) less often. Despite their clumsy appearance, these animals are very mobile and easily climb steep rocks.

Reproduction

The timing of the mating season depends on the habitat. So, in Kenya it begins in August-November, but can last until January; and in Syria - in August-September. Pregnancy lasts 6-7 months. Females usually give birth in June - July, after the rainy season. There are 2, rarely 3 cubs in a litter, sometimes up to 6. The cubs will be born sighted and covered with fur; after a few hours they leave the brood nest. They begin to eat solid food at 2 weeks and become independent at 10 weeks. Young hyraxes reach sexual maturity at 16 months; At the age of 16-24 months, young males disperse, females usually remain with their family group.

Life expectancy in nature is 10 years. Females live noticeably longer than males.

Young hyraxes are tamed in captivity, but adult animals remain vicious and aggressive.

Feed with branch food, vegetables and fruits.

I became acquainted with hyraxes while traveling around Israel, when visiting the oasis of Ein Gedi. They showed themselves to be very cute and friendly animals. In addition, they turned out to be very unusual animals in terms of biology and behavior.

Description and distribution

Hyracoidea) is an order of mammals that includes one family consisting of four species (two diurnal, two nocturnal). The closest relatives of hyraxes (you'll never guess) are elephants. Hyrax is a fairly ancient animal; in the old days, their ancestors were widespread throughout the African continent, but subsequently retreated, unable to withstand the competition with the emerging bovids - antelopes and goats.

The hyrax is a small animal, comparable in size to a cat. The length of an adult hyrax is 30-60 cm, weight 1.5 - 4.5 kg.

Nowadays hyraxes can be found in northern Africa, in Syria and Israel. Hyraxes live in groups of up to 50 individuals. Having noticed the danger, they notify everyone with shrill screams, like

Features of hyrax

Hyraxes are not very good at maintaining their own body temperature, so they have to huddle in groups at night and bask in the sun during the day, like lizards. The temperature of the hyrax can fluctuate between 24-39°C.

When it's cold, hyraxes gather in groups. Photo — koller93

When the animals warm themselves, they try to expose their “palms” - the soles of their paws - to the rays. At the same time, sweat is released on them, which helps the hyraxes climb by wetting the paws, which turn into a kind of suction cups, with the help of special muscles that raise the arch of the foot. Thanks to this know-how, the hyrax can climb and descend even along almost vertical rocks.

Hyraxes have 4 toes on their front legs with flat claws, more like hooves. There are only three toes on the hind legs, two with claws, and the middle one is long and curved.

On the back of the hyrax there is a stripe of more long hair, in the middle of which there is a bare area. When I first saw a hyrax, I thought that the poor thing had lost a tuft of hair. But it turns out that a normal hyrax should look like this. The ducts of a special dorsal gland open onto the bare area of ​​the back - it is assumed that it plays a role in intersexual communication.

Enemies of hyraxes

Every desert predator wants to eat hyrax, but their main enemy is the Kaffir eagle, which specializes in catching them.

The Kaffir Desert Eagle is the main enemy of the hyrax

The Damanian people live in constant fear in front of this bird. In front of the eyes of these animals, evolution even developed a special outgrowth of the iris that protects the pupil. Thanks to these “sunglasses”, our heroes can see the eagle even when looking at the dazzling bright desert sun. True, eagles still sometimes manage to outwit the hyrax; to do this, they maneuver as a pair: one eagle distracts the attention of the victim, and the second attacks unnoticed.

Damaniy watch

What do hyraxes eat?

And hyraxes feed mainly on grass and leaves, occasionally indulging themselves in insect larvae. To digest plant food, the hyrax has a complex multi-chamber stomach inside.

In search of succulent leaves, hyraxes climb quite high into trees.

Reproduction

Pregnancy in a female hyrax lasts about 7 months, after which small hyraxes are born. Up to six cubs are born at a time, usually 1-3. Newborns are born fully prepared for the difficult life of a hyrax - with with open eyes and capable of running fast. After two weeks they can already eat plant foods. The hyrax lives for about 10 years.

Hyrax Island

Hyraxes in Hebrew are designated by the word shaphan - one that hides. From Hebrew this word migrated to the language of the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians, on one of their travels, came across the Iberian Peninsula, where many rabbits lived. From afar, the sailors mistook the rabbits for the hyraxes they knew well and gave this place the name I-Shapan-im - Hyrax Island, or, as they now say, Spain.

Our meeting with the hyraxes

We met hyraxes in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, Israel (I wrote about this trip separately - “ “). In this oasis, the animals are protected and are not at all afraid of tourists. We were able to touch them, photograph them and get a good look at them. In my opinion, they resemble little bears.

The baby hyrax is not at all afraid of people

Hyraxes living in Israel belong to the genus Cape hyraxes - Procavia capensis. These are exactly what we saw in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Here they are not afraid of people, but in general they are timid animals, although they are curious. Sometimes they even get into houses.

Hyrax is a cautious but curious animal

And a few more of our photos of hyraxes from Israel. I will be glad to comments. Bye!

But this similarity is only external. Science has proven that the closest relatives hyraxes — elephants.

In Israel there is a Cape hyrax, the original name of which was “shafan”, which translated into Russian means the one who hides. The body length reaches half a meter and weighs 4 kg. Males are much larger than females. Upper part The body of the animal is brown, the lower part is several tones lighter. The fur of the hyrax is very thick, with a dense undercoat.

Sexually mature males have a pronounced dorsal gland. When frightened or excited, it releases a substance with a strong odor. This area of ​​the back is usually a different color.

One of the features animal hyrax is the structure of his limbs. On the front paws of the animal there are four fingers, which end in flat claws.

These claws are more reminiscent of human nails than animal nails. The hind paws are crowned with only three toes, two of them are the same as on the front paws, and one toe has a large claw. The soles of the animal's paws are devoid of hair, but are notable for the special structure of the muscles that can raise the arch of the foot.

Also foot hyrax constantly produces a sticky substance. Special muscle structure together with this substance gives the animal the ability to easily move along steep cliffs and climb the most tall trees.

Bruce's hyrax very shy. However, despite this, he is very curious. It is curiosity that periodically forces these animals to sneak into human habitation. Hyrax - mammal, which is easily tamed and does well in captivity.

Buy hyrax Available in specialized pet stores. In the wild, these animals live in and in South Asia. The Ein Gedi Nature Reserve gives its visitors the opportunity to observe the behavior of these animals in natural environment.

Bruce's hyrax in the photo

Mountain hyrax prefers semi-deserts, savannas and mountains for life. One of the varieties - tree hyraxes - are found in forests and spend most of their lives in trees, avoiding going down to the ground.

Character and lifestyle

Depending on the species, the animal has different preferences for where it lives. Thus, Israeli hyraxes love to live among large accumulations of stones. These lead a cooperative lifestyle; the number of individuals in one group can reach 50.

Hyraxes dig holes or occupy free crevices in rocks. They prefer to go outside to search for food in the morning and evening to avoid the scorching sun. Weak side The animal is thermoregulation. The body temperature of an adult can vary from 24 to 40 degrees Celsius.

Pictured is a mountain hyrax

During cold nights, in order to somehow warm up, these animals huddle together and warm each other, and in the morning they go out into the sun. This animal can climb to a height of up to 5000 meters above sea level. Depending on the species, the animal is diurnal or night image life.

Some individuals most often live alone or in small groups and are awake at night, while others sleep at night. However, despite belonging to a specific species, all hyraxes are very active and are able to move quickly and jump high on rocks and trees.

All hyraxes have excellent hearing and vision. When danger approaches, the animal makes a high, loud sound, hearing which all other individuals of the colony immediately hide. If a group of hyraxes settled on certain territory, they will stay there for a long time.

After a successful hunt on a sunny day, they can lounge on the rocks and bask in the sun. for a long time, however, only on the condition that several individuals stand on their hind legs to see the predator in advance.

Hyrax hunting- a fairly easy task, but if you use guns or any other device that makes a loud sound in this matter, only one individual will be prey. Everyone else will immediately hide.

In the wild, the hyrax has many enemies, such as pythons, and any other predatory animals and birds.

In the case when the enemy is approaching and the hyrax cannot escape, he takes a defensive position and emits a sharp bad smell using the dorsal gland. If necessary, can use teeth. In places where hyrax colonies live adjacent to people, their meat is most often a common product.

Nutrition

Most often, hyraxes prefer to satisfy their hunger with plant foods. But if a small insect or larva comes across their path, they will not disdain them either. IN exceptional cases In search of food, a hyrax can move 1-3 kilometers away from the colony.

As a rule, hyraxes do not need water. The animal's incisors are not sufficiently developed, so they use their molars when feeding. Daman has a multi-chambered stomach with complex structure.

Most often, meals are taken in the morning and evening. The basis of the diet can be not only the green parts of plants, but also roots, fruits, and bulbs. These small animals eat a lot. Most often, this is not a problem for them, because hyraxes settle in places rich in plants.

Reproduction and lifespan

Scientists have come to the conclusion that there is no seasonality in the reproduction of these animals, or at least it has not been identified. That is, babies appear all year round, but not more than once for the same parents. The female bears offspring for about 7-8 months, most often 1 to 3 cubs are born.

In rare cases, their number can reach up to 6 - this is how many nipples the mother has. Need for breastfeeding disappears within two weeks after birth, although the mother feeds for much longer.

The cubs are born quite developed. They see immediately and are already covered with thick fur and are able to move quickly. After 2 weeks, they begin to independently absorb plant foods. Babies are capable of procreation at the age of one and a half years; it is then that the males leave the colony, and the females remain with their family.

Life expectancy varies depending on the species. For example, African hyraxes live 6-7 years, cape hyrax can live up to 10 years. At the same time, a pattern was revealed that females live longer than males.

Reading the article will take: 4 min.

Among the land animals of the Earth, one creature stands out in every way - size, impressive body, huge ears And weird nose, much like a fire hydrant hose. If among the zoo’s living creatures there is at least one creature of the elephant family (and we're talking about exactly about them, as you already guessed), then this enclosure is especially popular with visitors, young and old. I decided to understand the genealogy of elephants, calculate their most distant ancestor, and in general, understand “who is who” among the long-eared and trunk-equipped. And this is what happened to me...

It turns out that elephants, mastodons and mammoths, as well as pinnipeds, dugongs and manatees, had a common ancestor - moeritherium. Externally, the moriteriums that inhabited the Earth approximately 55 million years ago were not even close to their modern descendants- short, no higher than 60 cm at the withers, they lived in shallow water bodies of Asia of the late Eocene and were something between a pygmy hippopotamus and a pig, with a narrow and elongated muzzle.

Now about the direct ancestor of elephants, mastodons and mammoths. Their common ancestor was the paleomastodon (lat. Palaeomastodontidae), which inhabited Africa about 36 million years ago, in the Eocene. The paleomastodon had a double set of tusks in its mouth, but they were short - it probably ate tubers and roots.

No less interesting, in my opinion, a relative of modern long-eared and proboscideans was a funny animal, nicknamed by scientists Platibelodon danovi. This creature inhabited Asia in the Miocene, about 20 million years ago, and had one set of tusks and strange spade-shaped incisors on its lower jaw. Platybelodon actually did not have a trunk, but its upper lip was wide and “corrugated” - somewhat similar to the trunk of modern elephants.

It's time to deal with more or less widely known representatives of the proboscis family - mastodons, mammoths and elephants. First of all, they are distant relatives, i.e. two modern looking elephants - African and Indian - did not descend from mammoths or mastodons. The body of mastodons (lat. Mammutidae) was covered with thick and short hair, they ate mostly grass and leaves of shrubs, and spread to Africa during the Oligocene period - about 35 million years ago.

Contrary to feature films, where the mastodon is usually depicted as an aggressive giant elephant with huge tusks, they were no larger than the modern African elephant: the height at the withers was no more than 3 meters; There were two sets of tusks - a pair of long ones on the upper jaw and short ones, practically not protruding from the mouth, on the lower jaw. Subsequently, mastodons completely got rid of a pair of lower tusks, leaving only the upper ones. Mastodons became completely extinct not so long ago, if you look from an anthropological point of view - only 10,000 years ago, i.e. our distant ancestors were well acquainted with this species of proboscis.

Mammoths (lat. Mammuthus) - those same shaggy, proboscis and with giant tusks, the remains of which are often found in Yakutia - inhabited the Earth on several continents at once, and their large family lived happily for as long as 5 million years, disappearing about 12-10,000 years ago . They were much larger than modern elephants - 5 meters tall at the withers, huge, 5-meter tusks, slightly twisted in a spiral. Mammoths lived everywhere - in the South and North America, in Europe and Asia, they easily endured ice ages and protected themselves from predators, but could not cope with the bipedal ancestors of humans, who diligently reduced their population throughout to the globe. Although scientists still consider the main reason for their complete and widespread extinction ice age caused by the fall of a huge meteorite in South America.

Today, two species of elephants exist and are relatively healthy - African and Indian. African elephants(lat. Loxodonta africana) with a maximum weight of 7.5 tons and a height at the withers of 4 meters, they live south of the African Sahara Desert. Just one representative of this family is in the first image of this article.

Indian elephants (lat. Elephas maximus) with a weight of 5 tons and a height of 3 meters at the withers, are common in India, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Laos and Sumatra. Indian elephants have much shorter tusks than their African relatives, with females having no tusks at all.

Elephant skull (varnished, sort of)

By the way, it was the skulls of mammoths, regularly discovered by ancient Greek researchers, that formed the basis of the legends about giant Cyclops - most often there were no tusks on these skulls (nimble Africans stole them for construction purposes), and the skull itself was very similar to the remains of a colossal Cyclops. Note the hole in the frontal part of the skull, to which the trunk is connected in living elephants.

Modern species of elephants are only the remnants of the great family of proboscis, which in the distant past inhabited planet Earth...

Hyrax or Hyraxidae (lat. Proсaviidae) is a family represented by small and stocky herbivorous mammals, the only one of all currently existing in the order Hyraxidae (Hyracoidea). The family includes five species.

Description of hyrax

Another name for hyraxes is zhiryaki. Even despite the rather ordinary external characteristics of modern hyraxes, such an animal has a prehistoric, very distant origin.

Appearance

Dimensions of a mammal: body length within 30-65 cm at average weight at the level of 1.5-4.5 kg. The tail part of the zhiryak is rudimentary, no more than 3 cm long, or completely absent. Appearance hyraxes are similar to rodents - tailless marmots or large guinea pigs, but according to phylogenetic indicators, such a mammal is closer to proboscis animals and sirens. Hyraxes have a dense build, are characterized by clumsiness, a large head, as well as a thick and short neck.

The forelimbs are plantigrade, strong and fairly well formed, with four toes and flattened claws that resemble hooves. The hind limbs are three-toed, with an inner toe that has a long and curved nail for combing hair. The soles of the feet are bare, with a thick and rubbery epidermis and numerous sweat ducts necessary for constant hydration of the skin. This feature of the structure of the paws allows hyraxes to climb rocky cliffs and tree trunks with incredible speed and dexterity, as well as descend upside down.

This is interesting! In the middle part of the back there is an area represented by elongated, lighter or darker hair with a central bare area and glandular sweat ducts that secrete a strong-smelling secretion during reproduction.

The muzzle is short and forked upper lip. The ears are round in shape, small in size, sometimes almost completely hidden under the fur. The fur is thick, consisting of soft down and coarse awns, brownish-gray in color. On the body, in the area of ​​the muzzle and neck, as well as above the eyes, there are tufts of long vibrissae.

Character and lifestyle

The Hyrax family consists of four species, a pair of which are diurnal, and a pair are nocturnal.. Representatives of the genus Procavia and Heterohyrax are diurnal mammals that live in colonies of five to six dozen individuals. A nocturnal forest animal can be a loner or live in a family. All hyraxes are distinguished by their mobility and the ability to run quickly, jump quite high and easily climb almost any surface.

This is interesting! All representatives of one colony visit the same “toilet”, and their urine on the stones leaves very characteristic white crystalline traces.

Representatives of the Damanaceae family are characterized by the presence of good developed vision and hearing, but poor thermoregulation, so such animals try to get together at night to warm themselves. In the daytime, mammals, along with reptiles, prefer to bask for a long time under sun rays, raising up the paws with sweat glands. The hyrax is a very cautious animal, which, when danger is detected, emits sharp and high-pitched screams, forcing the entire colony to quickly hide in a shelter.

How long do hyraxes live?

Average lifespan of a hyrax in natural conditions does not exceed fourteen years, but may vary slightly depending on the habitat and species characteristics. For example, the African hyrax lives on average six or seven years, while Cape hyraxes can live up to ten years. At the same time, a characteristic pattern has been established, according to which females always live a little longer than males.

Types of hyraxes

Relatively recently, the hyrax family united about ten to eleven species, which belonged to four genera. Currently, only four, sometimes five species are distinguished:

• The Procaviidae family is represented by D. arboreus or Tree hyrax, D. dorsalis or Western hyrax, D. validus or Eastern hyrax, H. brucei or Bruce hyrax and Pr. sarensis or Cape hyrax;
• The Pliohyracidas family includes several genera - Kvabebihyrax, Pliohyrax (Leptodon), as well as Postschizotherium, Sogdohyrax and Titanohyrax;
• Family Geniohyidae;
• Family Myohyracidae.

All hyraxes are conventionally divided into three main groups: mountain, steppe and arboreal mammals. A number of hyraxes are represented by one family, which includes about nine species living in Africa, including tree and mountain hyrax.

Range, habitats

Mountain hyraxes are colonial animals distributed throughout the Eastern and South Africa, from south-eastern Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to central Angola and northern South Africa, including the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, where habitats include rocky hills, screes and mountain slopes.

Cape hyraxes have become quite widespread from Syria, North-East Africa and Israel to South Africa, and are also found almost everywhere south of the Sahara. Isolated populations are observed in the mountainous landscapes of Algeria and Libya.

Western tree hyraxes live in forest areas on the territory of South and Central Africa, and are also found on mountain slopes up to an altitude of 4.5 thousand meters above sea level. Southern tree hyraxes have become widespread in Africa, as well as along the Southeast coastal zone.

The habitat of this species extends to the south from Uganda and Kenya to South Africa, as well as from the eastern parts of Zambia and Congo, to the west of the eastern continental coast. The animal lives in mountain lowland and coastal forests.

Hyrax diet

The basis of the diet of most hyraxes is represented by leaves. Also, such mammals feed on grass and young succulent shoots. The complex multi-chamber stomach of such a herbivore contains a sufficient amount of special beneficial microflora, which contributes to the most efficient and easy absorption of plant feed.

Cape hyraxes sometimes eat food of animal origin, mainly locust insects, as well as their larvae. The Cape hyrax is capable of eating vegetation containing fairly strong toxins without harm to its health.

This is interesting! Hyraxes have very long and sharp incisors, which are used not only in the feeding process, but also serve as a means of protecting the shy animal from numerous predators.

The usual diet of mountain hyraxes inhabiting national parks, includes varieties of cordia (Cordia ovalis), grevia (Grewia fallax), hibiscus (Hibiscus lunarifolius), ficus (Ficus) and merua (Maerua triphylla). These mammals do not drink water, so they obtain all the fluid necessary for the body exclusively from vegetation.