# Rock hyrax
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{{Short description|Species of mammal in the family Procaviidae}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Rock hyrax[{{MSW3 Hyracoidea | id = 11400040 | pages = 88–89 }}]
| image = Rock hyrax Serengeti National Park.jpg
| image_caption = Rock hyrax in [Serengeti National Park](/source/Serengeti_National_Park)
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = [{{Cite IUCN |author=Butynski, T. |author2=Hoeck, H. |author3=Koren, L. |author4=de Jong, Y.A. |name-list-style=amp |title=''Procavia capensis'' |article-number=e.T41766A21285876 |date=2015 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T41766A21285876.en |access-date=16 February 2022 }}]
| genus = Procavia
| species = capensis
| authority = ([Pallas](/source/Peter_Simon_Pallas), 1766)
| range_map = Rock Hyrax area.png
| range_map_caption = {{leftlegend|#498125|range|outline=gray}}
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision = See text
}}
The '''rock hyrax''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|aɪ|.|ɹ|æ|k|s|}}; '''''Procavia capensis'''''), also called '''dassie''', '''Rickaz''', '''Cape hyrax''', '''rock rabbit''', or '''coney''' (in early English Bible translations[{{Cite web |title=coney, n.¹ meanings, etymology and more {{!}} Oxford English Dictionary |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/coney_n1?tab=meaning_and_use |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708173402/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/coney_n1?tab=meaning_and_use |archive-date=8 July 2024 |access-date=2 July 2025 |website=www.oed.com }}]), is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East. Commonly called the dassie in South Africa ({{IPAc-en|'|d|æ|s|i}}; {{langx|af|klipdassie}}),[
Rock hyraxes weigh 4–5 kg (8.8–11.0 lb) and have short ears.][{{cite encyclopedia |title=Hyrax |url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/hyrax |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=30 October 2018 }}]
Rock hyraxes are found at elevations up to {{convert|4200|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level[{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=udCnKce9hfoC&pg=PA376 |page=376 |title=Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology |author1=George A. Feldhamer |author2=Lee C. Drickamer |author3=Stephen H. Vessey |author4=Joseph F. Merritt |author5=Carey Krajewski |publisher=JHU Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8018-8695-9 }}] in habitats with rock crevices, allowing them to escape from predators.[{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhsIAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 |page=105 |title=Nonfiction Reading Power: Teaching Students how to Think While They Read All Kinds of Information |author=Adrienne Gear |publisher=Pembroke Publishers Limited |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-55138-229-6 }}] They are the only [extant](/source/extant_taxon) terrestrial [afrotheria](/source/afrotheria)ns in the Middle East.{{refn |The marine [dugong](/source/dugong) is also present in the area.| group = note}} Hyraxes typically live in groups of 10–80 animals, and [forage](/source/forage) as a group. They have been reported to use sentries to warn of the approach of [predator](/source/predator)s. Having incomplete [thermoregulation](/source/thermoregulation), they are most active in the morning and evening, although their activity pattern varies substantially with season and climate.
Over most of its range, the rock hyrax is not endangered, and in some areas is considered a minor pest.
Along with other hyrax species and the [sirenians](/source/sirenians), this species is the most closely related to the [elephant](/source/elephant)s.[{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5t6aBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA470 |page=470 |title=Campbell Biology Australian and New Zealand Edition |author1=Jane B. Reece |author2=Noel Meyers |author3=Lisa A. Urry |author4=Michael L. Cain |author5=Steven A. Wasserman |author6=Peter V. Minorsky |publisher=Pearson Higher Education AU |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-4860-1229-9 }}] An unrelated, [convergently evolved](/source/convergent_evolution) mammal of similar habits and appearance is the [rock cavy](/source/rock_cavy) of Brazil.
==Characteristics==
Rock hyraxes are squat and heavily built, with adults reaching a length of {{convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weighing around {{convert|4|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with a slight [sexual dimorphism](/source/sexual_dimorphism), males being about 10% heavier than females. Their fur is thick and grey-brown, although this varies strongly between different environments, from dark brown in wetter habitats, to light gray in desert-living individuals.[{{cite journal |last1=Bothma |first1=J.d.P. |year=1966 |title=Color Variation in Hyracoidea from Southern Africa |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=47 |issue=4 |pages=687–693 |doi=10.2307/1377897 |jstor=1377897 }}] Hyrax size (as measured by [skull](/source/skull) length and [humerus](/source/humerus) diameter) is correlated to [precipitation](/source/Precipitation_(meteorology)), probably because of the effect on preferred hyrax forage.[{{cite journal |last1=Klein |first1=R.G. |last2=CruzUribe |year=1996 |title=Size variation in the rock hyrax (''Procavia capensis'') and late Quaternary climatic change in South Africa |journal=Quaternary Research |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=193–207 |doi=10.1006/qres.1996.0059 |bibcode=1996QuRes..46..193K |s2cid=140669754 }}]
Prominent in and apparently unique to hyraxes is the dorsal gland, which excretes an odour used for social communication and [territorial](/source/Territory_(animal)) marking. The gland is most clearly visible in dominant males.[{{cite web |url=http://www.livingdesert.org/animals/rock_hyrax.asp |title=The Living Desert - Rock Hyrax |access-date=27 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205013501/http://www.livingdesert.org./animals/rock_hyrax.asp |archive-date=5 December 2008 }}] The rock hyrax has a prominent pair of long, pointed [tusk](/source/tusk)-like upper [incisors](/source/incisors), which are reminiscent of the elephant, to which the hyrax is distantly related. The fore feet are [plantigrade](/source/plantigrade), and the hind feet are semi-[digitigrade](/source/digitigrade). The soles of the feet have large, soft pads that are kept moist with sweat-like secretions. In males, the [testes](/source/testes) are permanently abdominal, another anatomical feature that hyraxes share with elephants and sirenians.[{{cite journal |author=Olds, N. |author2=Shoshani, J. |year=1982 |title=''Procavia capensis'' |url=http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-171-01-0001.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051030115556/http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-171-01-0001.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2005 |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=171 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.2307/3503802 |jstor=3503802 |s2cid=253930749 }}]
[Thermoregulation](/source/Thermoregulation) in rock hyraxes has been subject to much research, as their body temperature varies with a [diurnal](/source/diurnality) rhythm. Animals kept in constant environmental conditions also display such variation,[Meltzer, A. (1973) ''Heat balance and water economy of the rock hyrax (''Procavia capensis syriaca'' Schreber 1784).'' Ph.D. dissert., Tel-Aviv Univ., Israel, 135 pp.]
File:189 Rock hyrax climbing a tree in Damaraland Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg|In a tree in search of food
File:190 Rock hyrax family in Damaraland Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg|Family in [Damaraland](/source/Damaraland), Namibia
File:Rock hyrax (Procavia capensis).jpg|at [Erongo](/source/Erongo_Region), Namibia
File:Procavia capensis 02 MWNH 826.jpg|Skull of a rock hyrax
File:Twohyraxes.jpg|The dorsal gland visible as a patch of fur with lighter colour
File:Hyraxfootcloseup.jpg|The characteristic foot pads
File:Procavia-capensis-Frontal.JPG|The rock hyrax is a stoutly built, rotund animal.
File:Hyrax incisors closeup.jpg|The unusual [incisors](/source/incisors)
File:Cape Hyrax Mt Kenya 2.JPG|Rock hyrax from Mt Kenya
File:Dassie or rock hyrax near Cape Town.jpg|Dassie near Cape Town
File:Rock Hyrax - Procavia Capensis 02.jpg|Rock hyrax
File:Rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) 2.jpg|In Namibia
==Distribution and geographic variation==
The rock hyrax occurs widely across [sub-Saharan Africa](/source/sub-Saharan_Africa) in disjunct northern and southern populations; it is absent from the [Congo Basin](/source/Congo_Basin) and Madagascar. The distribution encompasses southern Algeria, Libya, Egypt, and the Middle East, with populations in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and the [Arabian Peninsula](/source/Arabian_Peninsula).[ The northern subspecies was introduced to [Jebel Hafeet](/source/Jebel_Hafeet), which is on the border of Oman and the United Arab Emirates.][{{cite journal |author1=Edmonds, J.-A. |author2=Budd, K. J. |author3=Al Midfa, A. |author4=Gross, C. |name-list-style=amp |year=2006 |title=Status of the Arabian Leopard in United Arab Emirates |journal=Cat News |issue=Special Issue 1 |pages=33–39 |url=http://www.catsg.org/fileadmin/filesharing/5.Cat_News/5.3._Special_Issues/5.3.1._SI_1/Edmonds_et_al_2006_Status_of_the_Arabian_leopard_in_United_Arab_Emirates.pdf |archive-date=19 October 2020 |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019082320/http://www.catsg.org/fileadmin/filesharing/5.Cat_News/5.3._Special_Issues/5.3.1._SI_1/Edmonds_et_al_2006_Status_of_the_Arabian_leopard_in_United_Arab_Emirates.pdf |url-status=dead }}]
The shade of their pelts varies individually and regionally.[{{cite book |last1=Kingdon |first1=Jonathan |title=The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals |date=2015 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4729-2135-2 |pages=296–297 |edition=2 }}] In particular, the dorsal patches (present in both sexes) of the central populations are very variable, ranging from yellow to black, or flecked. In outlying populations, these are more constant in colour, black in ''P. c. capensis'', cream in ''P. c. welwitschii'', and orange in ''P. c. ruficeps''.[{{Cite book |title=The ecology of the Alpine zone of Mount Kenya. |last=Coe, Malcolm James. |date=1967 |publisher=Dr. W. Junk |oclc=559542 }}][{{Cite book |title=Kenya |last=Lonely Planet Publications (Firm), issuing body. |isbn=978-1-78701-900-3 |oclc=1046678247 |date=June 2018 |publisher=Lonely Planet }}]
===Subspecies===
The subspecies, which are sometimes elevated to full species, are:[{{cite journal |last1=Sale |first1=J. B. |year=1966 |title=The habitat of the rock hyrax |journal=Journal of the East African Natural History Society |volume=25 |pages=205–214 }}]
In Mount Kenya, rock hyraxes live in colonies comprising an adult male, several adult females, and immatures. They are active during the day, and sometimes during moonlit nights.[Young, T. P., & Matthew, R. E. (1993). Alpine vertebrates of Mount Kenya, with particular notes on the rock hyrax. East Africa Natural History Society.] The dominant male defends and watches over the group. The male also marks his territory.
In Africa, hyraxes are preyed on by [leopard](/source/leopard)s, [Egyptian cobra](/source/Egyptian_cobra)s, [puff adder](/source/puff_adder)s, [rock pythons](/source/Central_African_rock_python), [caracal](/source/caracal)s, [wild dogs](/source/African_wild_dog), [hawk](/source/hawk)s, and [owl](/source/owl)s.[{{cite journal |last1=Turner |first1=M. I. M. |last2=Watson |first2=R. M. |year=1965 |title=An introductory study on the ecology of hyrax (''Dendrohyrax brucei'' and ''Procavia johnstoni'') in the Serengeti National Park |journal=African Journal of Ecology |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=49–60 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2028.1965.tb00737.x |bibcode=1965AfJEc...3...49T }}] [Verreaux's eagle](/source/Verreaux's_eagle) in particular is a specialist hunter of hyraxes.[{{cite book |last=Estes |first=R. D. |title=The Safari Companion |publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing Company |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-890132-44-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/safaricompaniong00este_0 }}][{{cite book |last=Unwin |first=M. |title=Southern African Wildlife |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-84162-060-2 }}] In the Middle East, the rock hyrax is reportedly rarely preyed upon by terrestrial predators, as their system of sentries and reliable refuges provides considerable protection. Hyrax remains are almost absent from the [droppings](/source/Feces) of [wolves](/source/Wolf) in the [Judaean Desert](/source/Judaean_Desert).[{{cite journal |author=Margolis, E. |year=2008 |title=Dietary composition of the wolf ''Canis lupus'' in the Ein Gedi area according to analysis of their droppings (''in Hebrew'') |journal=Proceedings of the 45th Meeting of the Israel Zoological Society }}]
===Feeding and foraging===
250px|thumb|Hyrax making a chewing motion
Hyraxes feed on a wide variety of plant species, including ''[Lobelia](/source/Lobelia)''[ and [broad-leafed plants](/source/Dicotyledon).][{{cite web |url=http://natureniche.tripod.com/hyrax.html |title=Nature Niche-The Rock Hyrax (''Procavia capensis'') |access-date=27 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324005404/http://natureniche.tripod.com/hyrax.html |archive-date=24 March 2009 }}] They also have been reported to eat insects and grubs.[{{cite journal |last1=Kotler |first1=B. P. |last2=Brown |first2=J. S. |last3=Knight |first3=M. H. |year=1999 |title=Habitat and patch use by hyraxes: there's no place like home? |journal=Ecology Letters |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=82–88 |doi=10.1046/j.1461-0248.1999.22053.x |bibcode=1999EcolL...2...82K }}]
They are able to go for many days without water due to the moisture they obtain through their food, but quickly dehydrate under direct sunlight.[African Wildlife Foundation: [http://www.awf.org/content/wildlife/detail/hyrax ''Hyrax'']] Despite their seemingly clumsy build, they are able to climb trees (although not as readily as ''[Heterohyrax](/source/Heterohyrax)''), and readily enter residential gardens to feed on the leaves of [citrus](/source/citrus) and other trees.
The rock hyrax also makes a loud, grunting sound while moving its jaws as if chewing, and this behaviour may be a sign of [aggression](/source/aggression). Some authors have proposed that observation of this behavior by ancient [Israelites](/source/Israelites) gave rise to the misconception given in the [Book of Leviticus](/source/Book_of_Leviticus) 11:4–8 that the hyrax chews the cud,[{{cite journal |last1=Glover |first1=T.D. |last2=Millar |first2=R.P. |year=1970 |title=Seasonal Changes in the Reproductive Tract of the Male Rock Hyrax |doi=10.1530/jrf.0.0230496 |journal=Journal of Reproduction and Fertility |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=497–499 |doi-access=free }}]
===Social behavior===
==== Group structure ====
Hyraxes that live in more "egalitarian" groups, in which social associations are spread more evenly among group members, survive longer.[{{cite journal |last1=Barocas |first1=A. |last2=Ilany |first2=A. |last3=Koren |first3=L. |last4=Kam |first4=M. |last5=Geffen |first5=E. |year=2011 |title=Variance in Centrality within Rock Hyrax Social Networks Predicts Adult Longevity |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=7 |article-number=e22375 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0022375 |pmid=21818314 |pmc=3144894 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...622375B |doi-access=free }}] In addition, hyraxes are the first nonhuman species in which [structural balance](/source/Balance_theory) was described. They follow "the friend of my friend is my friend" rule, and avoid unbalanced social configurations.[{{cite journal |last1=Ilany |first1=A. |last2=Barocas |first2=A. |last3=Koren |first3=L. |last4=Kam |first4=M. |last5=Geffen |first5=E. |year=2013 |title=Structural balance in the social networks of a wild mammal |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=85 |issue=6 |pages=1397–1405 |doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.03.032 |bibcode=2013AnBeh..85.1397I |s2cid=28628927 }}] The balance of social interactions within a group is positively correlated to individual longevity, meaning that "it is not the number or strength of associations that an adult individual has (i.e. centrality) that is important, but the overall configuration of social relationships within the group."[{{Cite journal |last1=Barocas |first1=Adi |last2=Ilany |first2=Amiyaal |last3=Koren |first3=Lee |last4=Kam |first4=Michael |last5=Geffen |first5=Eli |date=27 July 2011 |title=Variance in Centrality within Rock Hyrax Social Networks Predicts Adult Longevity |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=7 |article-number=e22375 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0022375 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=3144894 |pmid=21818314 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...622375B |doi-access=free }}] The reason for such a balanced group configuration, rather than one that is centrally dominated by a few individual hyraxes, was suggested to have to do with the fact that information flow to all members is important in a fragmented habitat as that of the hyrax, making a dominance hierarchy a liability for the survival of the group at large.[ The most familiar one is a high trill, given in response to perceived danger.][{{cite journal |last1=Koren |first1=L. |last2=Geffen |first2=E. |year=2009 |title=Complex call in male rock hyrax (''Procavia capensis''): a multi-information distributing channel |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |volume=63 |issue=4 |pages=581–590 |doi=10.1007/s00265-008-0693-2 |bibcode=2009BEcoS..63..581K |s2cid=23659460 }}] More recently, researchers have found rich syntactic structure and geographical variations in the calls of rock hyraxes, a first in the vocalization of mammalian taxa other than primates, cetaceans, and bats.[{{cite journal |author=Kershenbaum, A. |author2=Ilany, A. |author3=Blaustein, L. |author4=Geffen E. |year=2012 |title=Syntactic structure and geographical dialects in the songs of male rock hyraxes |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society |volume=B |issue=1740 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2012.0322 |pmid=22513862 |pmc=3385477 |bibcode=2012PBioS.279.2974K }}] Higher-ranked males tend to sing more often, and the energetic cost of singing is relatively low.[{{cite journal |last1=Ilany |first1=A. |last2=Barocas |first2=A. |last3=Kam |first3=M. |last4=Ilany |first4=T. |last5=Geffen |first5=E. |title=The energy cost of singing in wild rock hyrax males: evidence for an index signal |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=85 |issue=5 |pages=995–1001 |doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.02.023 |year=2013 |bibcode=2013AnBeh..85..995I |s2cid=43767291 |doi-access=free }}] A recent study found that snorts, a rare aspect of male hyrax songs, play an important signalling role as well, with increasing snort harshness being associated with "the progression of inner excitement or aggression". It is also positively associated with the singing animal's social status and testosterone levels.[{{Cite journal |date=1 August 2020 |title=A crescendo in the inner structure of snorts: a reflection of increasing arousal in rock hyrax songs? |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=166 |pages=163–170 |doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.010 |issn=0003-3472 |last1=Weissman |first1=Yishai A. |last2=Demartsev |first2=Vlad |last3=Ilany |first3=Amiyaal |last4=Barocas |first4=Adi |last5=Bar-Ziv |first5=Einat |last6=Koren |first6=Lee |last7=Geffen |first7=Eli |bibcode=2020AnBeh.166..163W |s2cid=220499081 }}] Singing has also been shown to be a marker of an individual hyrax's unique identity, where identity is expressed by unique vocal signatures "that are not condition dependent and are stable over years in singers that did not alter their spatial position."[{{Cite journal |last1=Koren |first1=Lee |last2=Geffen |first2=Eli |date=1 April 2011 |title=Individual identity is communicated through multiple pathways in male rock hyrax (''Procavia capensis'') songs |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |volume=65 |issue=4 |pages=675–684 |doi=10.1007/s00265-010-1069-y |bibcode=2011BEcoS..65..675K |s2cid=40657166 |issn=1432-0762 }}]
==== Resting ====
The rock hyrax spends roughly 95% of its time resting.[{{Cite magazine |title=The Creature Feature: 10 Fun Facts About the Rock Hyrax (Or, Are You Ready to Rock Hyrax?) |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/01/the-creature-feature-10-fun-facts-about-the-rock-hyrax-or-are-you-ready-to-rock-hyrax/ |access-date=21 September 2021 |issn=1059-1028 }}]
===Dispersal===
Male hyraxes have been categorised into four classes: territorial, peripheral, early dispersers, and late dispersers. The territorial males are dominant. Peripheral males are more solitary and sometimes take over a group when the dominant male is missing. Early-dispersing males are juveniles that leave the birth site around 16 to 24 months of age. Late dispersers are also juvenile males, but they leave the birth site much later, around 30 or more months of age.[{{cite web |url=http://www.jaxzoo.org/things/biofacts/RockHyrax.asp |title=Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens: Things to See and do |access-date=27 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709183056/http://www.jaxzoo.org/things/biofacts/RockHyrax.asp |archive-date=9 July 2009 }}]
==Names==
The species is known as {{Lang|af|klipdas}} in [Afrikaans](/source/Afrikaans) (etymology: rock + badger),{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} while most people just call them "dassies" (the plural of dassie) or "rock rabbits" in South Africa. The [Swahili](/source/Swahili_language) names for them are {{Lang|sw|pimbi}}, {{Lang|sw|pelele}}, and {{Lang|sw|wibari}}, though the latter two names are nowadays reserved for the [tree hyraxes](/source/Dendrohyrax).[{{Cite Americana |wstitle=Dassy }}]
This species has many subspecies, many of which are also known as rock or Cape hyrax, although the former usually refers to African varieties.
In [Arabic](/source/Arabic), the rock hyrax is called {{Lang|ar|الوبر الصخري}} ({{Transliteration|ar|alwabr alsakhri}}) or {{Lang|ar|طبسون}} (''{{Transliteration|ar|tabsoun}}''). In [Classical Hebrew](/source/Biblical_Hebrew), the rock hyrax is called {{Lang|he|שָׁפָן|rtl=yes}} (''shafan'').[{{Cite book |title=The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew |publisher=Sheffield Academic Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-907534-46-1 |editor-last=Clines |editor-first=David J.A. |volume=8 |location=Sheffield, England |page=544 }}] In Modern Hebrew, this word [colloquially](/source/colloquially) refers to the rabbit, while {{Lang|he|שפן סלע|rtl=yes}} (''{{lang|he|shafan sela}}'') is used for hyrax.[{{cite book |first1=N. |last1=Slifkin |author-link1=Natan Slifkin |chapter=Shafan — The Hyrax |title=The camel, the hare & the hyrax: a study of the laws of animals with one kosher sign in light of modern zoology |location=[Southfield, MI](/source/Southfield%2C_MI); [Nanuet, NY](/source/Nanuet%2C_NY) |publisher=Zoo Torah in association with Targum, Feldheim |chapter-url=http://www.zootorah.com/hyrax/hyrax.pdf |year=2004 |pages=99–135 |isbn=978-1-56871-312-0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616192614/http://www.zootorah.com/hyrax/hyrax.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2012 }}] According to [Gerald Durrell](/source/Gerald_Durrell), local people in [Bafut](/source/Bafut_Subdivision), Cameroon, call the rock hyrax the ''n'eer''.[{{cite book |last=Durrell |first=G. |title=The Bafut Beagles |year=1954 |publisher=Rupert Hart-Davies }}]
==Naturopathic use==
Rock hyraxes produce large quantities of [hyraceum](/source/hyraceum), a sticky mass of dung and urine that has been employed as a South African folk remedy in the treatment of several medical [disorders](/source/disease), including [epilepsy](/source/epilepsy) and [convulsions](/source/convulsions).[{{cite journal |url=https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0038-23532007000600004 |author1=Olsen, A. |author2=Prinsloo, L. C. |author3=Scott, L. |author4=Jägera, A, K. |year=2008 |title=Hyraceum, the fossilized metabolic product of rock hyraxes (''Procavia capensis''), shows GABA-benzodiazepine receptor affinity |journal=South African Journal of Science |volume=103 |issue=11–12 |pages=437–438 }}] Hyraceum is now being used by perfumers, who tincture it in alcohol to yield a natural animal [musk](/source/musk).[{{Cite web |url=http://www.profumo.it/title/Hyraceum/pid/5076 |title=Hyraceum - Perfumetherapy - Procavia Capensis - 100% Natural Perfumes Made in Italy |last=Profumo |first=Dominique Dubrana aka AbdesSalaam Attar for La Via del |website=www.profumo.it |access-date=21 September 2017 }}]
==In culture==
The rock hyrax is classified as ''[treif](/source/treif)'' (not kosher; unclean) according to ''[kashrut](/source/kashrut)'' – Jewish food hygiene rules – due to statements in the [Torah](/source/Torah):
"And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you" ([Leviticus](/source/Book_of_Leviticus) 11:5).[Leviticus 11:4–5; Deuteronomy 14:7] Hyraxes are also mentioned in Proverbs 30:26 as one of a number of remarkable animals for being small but exceedingly wise, in this case because "the conies are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs".[Prov 30:26, KJB]
In [Joy Adamson](/source/Joy_Adamson)'s books and the film ''[Born Free](/source/Born_Free)'', a rock hyrax called Pati-Pati was her companion for six years before [Elsa](/source/Elsa_the_lioness) and her siblings came along; Pati-Pati reportedly took the role of nanny and watched over them with great care.[Adamson, J. (1961). ''Elsa – The Story Of A Lioness'', London: Collins & Harvill Press. p. 3.]
The 2013 animated film ''[Khumba](/source/Khumba)'' features a number of rock hyraxes that sacrifice one of their own to a white [Verreaux's eagle](/source/Verreaux's_eagle).
==Gallery==
File:Hyrax on the Rocks.JPG|Rock hyrax can reach a length of {{convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weigh around {{convert|4|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.
File:Dassie 2.jpg|Basking on [Table Mountain](/source/Table_Mountain), South Africa
File:Klipdas Betty's Bay.jpg|Klipdassie in [Betty's Bay](/source/Betty's_Bay), South Africa
File:Hyrax colony.jpg|A colony of hyraxes in northern Israel
File:Dassie southafrica.JPG|Rock hyrax in the botanical garden of [Pretoria](/source/Pretoria), South Africa
File:Collar tagged Rock Hyrax.JPG|Collar-tagged rock hyrax, [Ein Gedi, Israel](/source/Ein_Gedi%2C_Israel)
File:Klippschliefer schaedel.gif|Animated skull, Namibia
File:Procavia capensis syriaca.jpg|Rock hyrax, [Katzrin](/source/Katzrin), Golan Heights
File:Rock hyrax running.jpg|Rock hyrax, running, Ein Gedi
File:Rock hyrax at Cape of Good Hope.jpg|Rock hyrax (dassie) at the [Cape of Good Hope](/source/Cape_of_Good_Hope), South Africa
File:Dassie (rock hyrax), South Africa.jpg|Dassie with young in [Hermanus](/source/Hermanus), South Africa
File:RockHyraxesAtEinGedi.jpg|alt=|Rock hyrax showing incisors and tongue, at [Ein Gedi, Israel](/source/Ein_Gedi%2C_Israel)
File:Rock Hyrax - Singapore Zoo.png|Rock hyrax pictured at [Singapore Zoo](/source/Singapore_Zoo)
File:Rock hyrax – Procavia capensis – Góralek skalny.jpg|Rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis). Boulders Beach, Simon's Town, South Africa
== See also ==
* {{Portal-inline|Mammals}}
== Notes ==
{{Reflist
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== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
== External links ==
{{Commons category|Procavia capensis}}
{{Wikispecies|Procavia capensis}}
* [https://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Procavia_capensis.html Animal Diversity: ''Procavia capensis'']
* View the [http://useast.ensembl.org/Procavia_capensis/Info/Index/ hyrax genome] on [Ensembl](/source/Ensembl)
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_WhkIZbHA0 Cute dassie on Table Mountain]
* {{UCSC genomes|proCap1}}
*[https://animalstaita.com/2020/01/18/rock-hyraxes-of-mt-kenya/ More information and photos of rock hyraxes in Mt Kenya]
{{Hyracoidea}}
{{Paenungulatomorpha|state=autocollapse}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q323847}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:hyrax, rock}}
rock hyrax
Category:Mammals of Africa
Category:Mammals of the Middle East
Category:Mammals of the Arabian Peninsula
rock hyrax
Category:Articles containing video clips
Category:Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas
Category:Animals in the Bible
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rock hyrax](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_hyrax) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_hyrax?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.