Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Did You Know About the Hyrax?

Did you know the Hyrax?

I think I have heard of this before, but never seen one before. It is a small animal that lives in Africa. It can climb trees. There are guide hairs on its back to help it feel how much space it has when crawling among the rocks. Although it looks like a rodent, its closest relatives are the elephant and the manatee! (I've got to look up that connection!) Not so clear on the relation, but the hyrax forms an outgroup, with the manatee being the closes relation. The hyrax are down to four different species still recognized today.

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