Israeli relatives of African elephants. Mountain hyrax, or Bruce hyrax: description, photo Appearance and morphology

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. Top 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 secretes 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. The animal's front paws have four toes that 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 most spends its life in the trees, avoiding going down to the ground.

Character and lifestyle

Depending on the species, the animal has different preferences for where it lives. So, Israeli hyraxes like to live among large clusters 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. Body temperature adult there may be a difference 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 settles in a certain area, 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 under the condition that several individuals stand on 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 colonies of hyraxes live close 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 away from the colony by 1-3 kilometers.

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

Daman (lat. Procaviidae) is so different from other animals that scientists had to allocate it separate genus — Hyracoidea. They say that hyraxes are the closest relatives of the elephant.

To a certain extent, this is true, since they descend from one distant ancestor, common to hyraxes, elephants and sea cows(dugongs and manatees). These multi-ton giants and the small hyrax, weighing up to three kilograms, are united by a similar structure of teeth and bones.

Appearance Damana is deceptive, this one furry animal resembles or has lost its tail a rabbit with small round ears. However, hyraxes have nothing to do with the large group of rodents. Being herbivores, hyraxes are closest to primitive ungulates, and among ungulates their closest relatives are. It is believed that their sharp incisors are modified remains of tusks.

To comb its thick brown-gray fur, the hyrax uses a long, curved claw located on the inside of its hind legs. The soles of hyraxes are covered with thick, rough skin, similar to rubber. Sticky sweat is secreted from special glands on the feet, thanks to which the feet work like suction cups, allowing the animal to easily and freely move along steep rocks, including upside down.

flickr/Rainbirder

Hyraxes are extremely careful. They gather in groups of about 50 individuals living in natural rock crevices. Each group has observers who closely monitor the environment. Seeing a person or animal, these “sentinels” emit a piercing cry, and the entire colony scatters into its burrows at lightning speed.

Hyraxes have good vocal abilities; their repertoire includes chirping, growling, whistling, and loud screams. Sometimes at night the groups arrange a roll call with their neighbors - it all starts with a barely audible squeak or whistle, which gradually turns into a pig squeal, then turning into sounds similar to the cry of a child.

Hyraxes make the most noise when climbing or descending from a tree. On a cold desert night, hyraxes gather together, huddling together to keep warm, and in the hottest part of the day they sit comfortably in the shade of trees, raising their paws to the top.

Hyraxes are diurnal animals; they spend their time climbing rocks and gorges or jumping from branch to branch in search of fresh juicy leaves, fruits of trees and shrubs. A hyrax will not refuse a randomly encountered insect. From its ungulate relatives, the hyrax has retained the habit of chewing, although in fact chewing is considered to be the movement of its lips while it is carefully sniffing something. Caracals), and civets. Personal enemy The hyrax can be called the black African eagle, which prefers to feed exclusively on hyraxes.

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 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 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 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 such " 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 open eyes and able to run quickly. 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!

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Hyraxidae are a family of small, stocky, herbivorous mammals, numbering 4 species.

The only family of the monotypic order Hyracoidea.

They live in Africa and the Middle East.

Despite the ordinary appearance of modern hyraxes, they have a distant prehistoric origin.

Hyraxes are the closest relatives of modern elephants.

general description

These are animals the size of a domestic cat: body length from 30 to 60-65 cm, weight from 1.5 to 4.5 kg.

The tail is rudimentary (1-3 cm) or absent.

In appearance, hyraxes resemble rodents - tailless marmots or large guinea pigs - but are phylogenetically closest to elephants.

Their physique is dense, awkward, with a large head on a short thick neck and short but strong legs.

The muzzle is short, with a split upper lip.

The ears are round, small, sometimes almost hidden in the fur. Limbs are plantigrade.

The forelimbs are 5-toed with flattened claws resembling hooves.

The hind limbs are three-toed; the inner finger bears a long curved nail, which is used for combing hair, and the other fingers have hoof-shaped claws.

The soles of the paws are bare, covered with a thick rubber-like epidermis; Numerous ducts of sweat glands open on their surface, which constantly moisturize the skin.

The central part of the arch of each foot can be lifted by special muscles, creating something like a suction cup. Wet skin enhances suction.

Thanks to this device, hyraxes can climb steep cliffs and tree trunks with great dexterity and speed, and even descend from them upside down.

The fur of hyraxes is thick, formed by soft down and rough awns. The color is usually brownish-gray. Tufts of long vibrissae grow on the body (especially on the muzzle above the eyes and on the neck).

In the middle of the back there is an area of elongated, lighter or dark hair, in the center of which there is a bare area.

On its surface, ducts of a special glandular field open - the dorsal gland of 7-8 lobes, formed by hypertrophied sebaceous and sweat glands.

The gland secretes a secretion that smells strongly during the breeding season.

In young hyraxes the gland is undeveloped or poorly developed; in females it is smaller than in males.

When frightened or excited, the hair covering the gland rises upright. The exact purpose of the gland is unknown.

Adult hyraxes have 34 permanent teeth and 28 baby teeth.

The incisors of the upper jaw are constantly growing, quite widely spaced and resemble the incisors of rodents.

There are no fangs. Premolar and molar teeth are similar to the teeth of ungulates.

Skull with a rather massive lower jaw. Nipples: 1 pair of breast and 2 pairs of inguinal or 1 pair of axillary and 1-2 inguinal.

Lifestyle

Distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas, Syria and Israel.

Representatives of the genera Procavia And Heterohyrax- diurnal animals, live in colonies of 5-60 individuals in arid savannas and rocky areas, rising into the mountains to an altitude of 4500 m above sea level.

Representatives of the genus Dendrohyrax- nocturnal forest animals, live alone and in families. All hyraxes are very agile, able to quickly run, jump and climb steep rocks and trees. Well developed vision and hearing.

Hyraxes are distinguished by poorly developed thermoregulation - at night they gather together to keep warm, and during the day, like reptiles, they bask in the sun for a long time.

At the same time, they raise the soles of their paws, on which the sweat glands are located.

The sticky sweat produced helps hyraxes climb.

Hyraxes are very cautious and, like European ground squirrels, when they see danger, they emit a sharp, high-pitched cry, forcing the entire colony to hide in shelters.

Herbivores. They feed mainly on plant foods, occasionally eating insects and their larvae.

In search of food they can go up to 1-3 km. They don't need water.

Unlike many other herbivores, hyraxes do not have developed incisors and use their molars to help themselves when feeding.

Unlike artiodactyls or kangaroos, they do not chew cud; food is digested in their complex, multi-chambered stomachs.

There is apparently no seasonality in reproduction.

Pregnancy lasts 7-7.5 months. The female brings 1-3, sometimes up to 6 cubs, once a year.

Cubs are born well developed, with open eyes; able to run fast.

After 2 weeks they begin to eat plant food.

Photo gallery

Helpful information

hyraxes
lat. Procaviidae
Hebrew שפניים
Arab. وَبَريَات
English Hyrax

Origin of hyraxes

The oldest fossil remains of hyraxes date back to the late Eocene (40 million years ago).

For many millions of years, the ancestors of hyraxes were the main terrestrial herbivores in Africa, until in the Miocene, competition with bovids forced them out of their former ecological niche.

However, hyraxes are still long time remained a numerous and widespread order, inhabiting most of Africa, Asia and southern Europe in the Pliocene.

Phylogenetically, modern hyraxes are closest to proboscideans, with which they have many similarities in the structure of the teeth, skeleton and placenta.

There is an opinion that the “hares” mentioned in the Bible, designated by the word “shafan” ( shaphan), were actually hyraxes.

From a distance they really resemble large rabbits.

From Hebrew this word passed into the language of the Phoenicians, who apparently mistook the rabbits of the Iberian Peninsula for hyraxes, giving the country its name I-Shapan-im, Damanov Coast.

Later this name was derived from the Latin Hispania and modern "Spain".

The very name “hyrax” is of Arabic origin and literal translation means "ram".

Classification

Until recently, the hyrax family included up to 10-11 species belonging to 4 genera. After 1995, the number of species was reduced to only 4:

Family Hyraxaceae ( Procaviidae)
- Genus Tree hyraxes ( Dendrohyrax)
  - Tree hyrax ( Dendrohyrax arboreus)
  - Western hyrax ( Dendrohyrax dorsalis)
- Genus Mountain hyraxes ( Heterohyrax)
Genus Rocky hyraxes ( Procavia)
- Cape hyrax ( Procavia capensis)

The habitat of hyraxes is East Coast The Mediterranean, the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas and Africa, more precisely, the savannahs south of the Sahara Desert. Looking at this funny animal, you can mistake it for some kind of rodent: it looks like either a marmot or a guinea pig. It's incredible, but true: in fact it is " terrible beast", whose closest relatives are elephants, reports the site with reference to the publication N+1.

Hyraxes have nothing to do with rabbits or guinea pigs, not at all to rodents. Their closest relatives are, surprisingly, the proboscis: elephants and their extinct relatives, as well as the sirens: the exterminated Steller's cow and its surviving brothers, dugongs and manatees. Hyraxes are similar to them in many morphological characteristics - and this relationship is confirmed by genetic studies.

Unlike their imposing relatives, hyraxes have a rather unprepossessing appearance, are no larger in size than cats and look like marmots without a tail. On their front paws they have four toes with flat nails that look like small hooves, and on their hind paws they have three toes, on one of which the nail is curved.

These hoof-like nails are one of those morphological features that bring hyraxes closer to elephants and sirens: both elephants and even manatees have nails, very small, along the edge of the flippers.

Another feature that brings hyraxes closer to elephants is their tusks. Hyraxes do have tusks, albeit very small ones, which, like elephants, are formed by incisors. In most other animals, the tusks are formed by fangs - such as walruses, warthogs or wild boars.

Hyraxes also have other features that they share with their larger relatives. For example, males do not have a scrotum, and their testes remain in abdominal cavity, and in females the nipples are located near the armpits (as well as in the groin area).

Latest molecular research showed that hyraxes, like elephants and sirens, are in no way related to ungulates, and penungulates are a group of organisms with a common origin.