Octodon

{{Short description|Genus of rodents}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Octodon degus 1.jpg | image_caption = Common degu, ''Octodon degus'' | taxon = Octodon | authority = Bennett, 1823 | type_species = ''Octodon cumingii'' | type_species_authority = Bennett, 1832 (= ''Sciurus degus'' Molina, 1782) | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = ''Octodon bridgesi'' ''Octodon degus'' ''Octodon lunatus'' ''Octodon pacificus'' ''Octodon ricardojeda'' }}

'''''Octodon''''' (from Ancient Greek ὀκτώ ({{grc-transl|ὀκτώ}}), meaning "eight", and ὀδούς ({{grc-transl|ὀδούς}}), meaning "tooth") is a genus of octodontid rodents native to South America, in particular in the Chilean Andes.<ref name = MSW3>{{MSW3 Hystricognathi | id = 13400371 | page = 1571-1572 | heading = Genus ''Aconaemys''}}</ref> The best-known member is the common degu, ''O. degus'', which is kept as a pet in various countries. Two of the four species of degus are nocturnal.<ref name="noc1">[http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-octodon.htm Wise Geek]</ref><ref name="noc2">[http://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/theresaleelab/ University of Michigan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720231040/http://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/theresaleelab/ |date=2012-07-20 }}</ref>

== Classification == This genus was first described in 1832 by the British zoologist Edward Turner Bennett.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|last1=Diaz|first1=Monica|title=Genus Octodon|date=2015-03-15|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273349949|pages=1029–1034|isbn=978-0-226-16957-6|access-date=2021-10-18|last2=Barquez|first2=Rubén|last3=Verzi|first3=Diego|publisher=University of Chicago Press }}</ref>

== Taxonomy == The genus name ''Octodon'' comes from Ancient Greek ὀκτώ ({{grc-transl|ὀκτώ}}), meaning "eight", and ὀδούς ({{grc-transl|ὀδούς}}), meaning "tooth", referring to how their teeth, molars and premolars are shaped like the number 8.<ref name="Woods1975">{{Citation|last1=Woods|first1=C.|title=''Octodon degus''|date=21 November 1975|url=http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-067-01-0001.pdf|journal=Mammalian Species|issue=67|pages=1–5|doi=10.2307/3503820|jstor=3503820|last2=Boraker|first2=D.|s2cid=253992625 }}</ref>

The full list of species is:

* ''O. bridgesii'', Bridges's degu, found in central Chile * ''O. degus'', the common degu or degu, found in central Chile * ''O. lunatus'', the moon-toothed degu, found in central Chile * ''O. pacificus'', the Pacific degu or Mocha Island degu, found exclusively on Mocha Island, Chile *''O. ricardojeda'', Ricardo Ojeda's degu, found in western Argentina and Chile

== Distribution == In the wild, all species of degus live in the Andes, mainly in the mountains of Chile, to which most of them are endemic, aside from a few populations of ''O. ricardojeda'' in the neighboring province of Neuquén, Argentina. They are found between 0 and 1,800 <abbr>m in</abbr> altitude.<ref name=":0" />

== Description == They are medium-sized octodontids. Their total body length varies between 200 and 390 <abbr>mm,</abbr> with a tail which measures between 81 and 170 <abbr>mm</abbr> and represents 70 to 80% of the head + body length. The coat color is grayish, or dull with orange highlights, and turns creamy yellow on the belly. The tail is carried slightly curved and is the same color as the body, and ends with a tuft of black hairs, with the extent of black depending on the species. The ears are quite large and protrude widely from the head, except in ''O. pacificus'' . The lower limbs are suitable for jumping, with pads on the soles of the paws that prevent slipping. The forelegs have four clawed fingers, along with a poorly developed fifth finger with a nail. The glans of the penis is characterized by a variable number of spikes, 5 or more in number, on each side.<ref name="noc1" /><ref name=":0" />

== Lifestyle == They are both nocturnal and diurnal. Degus are primarily folivorous herbivores. Their diet varies according to annual vegetation cycles. The consumption of their own droppings (coprophagia) is practiced during times of scarcity. This provides them with a nutritional supplement thanks to the microbial fermentation that takes place in the cecum and optimizes the digestion of fibrous foods.<ref>{{Cite journal |author1-link=Jim Kenagy |last1=Kenagy |first1=G. J. |last2=Veloso |first2=Claudio |last3=Bozinovic |first3=Francisco |author-link3=Francisco Bozinovic |date=1999-01-01 |title=Daily Rhythms of Food Intake and Feces Reingestion in the Degu, an Herbivorous Chilean Rodent: Optimizing Digestion through Coprophagy |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/316644 |journal=Physiological and Biochemical Zoology |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=78–86 |doi=10.1086/316644 |issn=1522-2152 |pmid=9882606 |s2cid=32432487|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

These social animals dig a burrow made of a series of tunnels where they live in small to large groups composed of both males and females.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Diaz|first1=Monica|title=Genus Octodon|date=2015-03-15|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273349949|pages=1029–1034|isbn=978-0-226-16957-6|access-date=2021-06-08|last2=Barquez|first2=Rubén|last3=Verzi|first3=Diego|publisher=University of Chicago Press }}</ref>

== Conservation status == ''O. bridgesii'' (assessed as conspecific with ''O. ricardojeda'') is considered vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, while ''O. pacificus'' is considered critically endangered. The other two species are considered of least concern.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/en|access-date=2021-10-18|website=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Octodon |volume=19 |page=993 |short=x}}

Category:Octodon Category:Rodent genera Category:Taxa named by Edward Turner Bennett