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The rock hyrax (/ ˈ h aɪ. r æ k s /; Procavia capensis), also called dassie, Cape hyrax, rock rabbit, and (from some [3] interpretations of a word used in the King James Bible) coney, is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East.
Both types of "rock" hyrax (P. capensis and H. brucei) live on rock outcrops, including cliffs in Ethiopia [4] and isolated granite outcrops called koppies in southern Africa. [5] With one exception, all hyraxes are limited to Africa; the exception is the rock hyrax (P. capensis) which is also found in adjacent parts of the Middle East.
The yellow-spotted rock hyrax or bush hyrax (Heterohyrax brucei) is a species of mammal 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.
There are three main varieties in the hyrax family: the rock hyrax, tree hyrax and bush or yellow-spotted hyrax -- but we assure you they are all equally adorable. Seriously though, just look at ...
Sampling a rock hyrax midden from the Gifberg Pass, Western Cape, South Africa. A rock hyrax midden is a stratified accumulation of fecal pellets and a brown amber-like a urinary product known as hyraceum excreted by the rock hyrax and closely related species.
Procavia is a genus of hyraxes. The rock hyrax (P. capensis) is currently the only extant species belonging to this genus, though other species were recognized in the past, including P. habessinica and P. ruficeps, both now relegated to subspecific rank. Several fossil species are known as well, the oldest dated to the Early Pliocene, including:
The rock hyrax defecates in the same location over generations, which may be sheltered in caves. These locations form middens that are composed of hyraceum and hyrax pellets, which can be petrified and preserved for over 50,000 years. These middens form a record of past climate and vegetation.
Paenungulata (from Latin paene "almost" + ungulātus "having hoofs") is a clade of "sub-ungulates", which groups three extant mammal orders: Proboscidea (including elephants), Sirenia (sea cows, including dugongs and manatees), and Hyracoidea ().