All About the Hyrax, the Elephant's Cousin That Looks Like a Rodent

Rock hyraxes are also called rock rabbits, or dassies. Other hyrax nicknames include pimbi, stone badger, cape hyrax, coney, and klipdas. Little brother of the elephant: What is one of the closest living relatives of the elephant? If you said the manatee or dugong, which are both marine mammals, you would be correct. But there is another family member that is often forgotten: the hyrax (HI-racks).

Rock hyraxes feed in a circle formation, with their head pointing to the outside of the circle to keep an eye out for predators, such as leopards, hyenas, jackals, servals, pythons, and the Verreaux's eagle and black eagle, hyrax specialists. With their excellent vision, rock hyraxes can spot a predator over 1,000 yards (900 meters) away! During each feeding period, the dominant male pauses between bites to watch for danger. He sounds a shriek alarm if he sees anything of concern, which sends all of the hyraxes scrambling for cover, where they remain absolutely still until they think the danger has passed. If needed, a hyrax can wedge itself backward between rocks and bite savagely at the intruder with its long, sharp incisors.