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Also known as dassies or conies, hyraxes are about the same size as marmots and woodchucks. They are ungulates, or hooven mammals; however, they have some of the weirdest feet around.

Each of their forefeet has four toes with flattened nails which look like hooves, and their hind feet have three toes. Two of the toes on each foot look like hooves, while the inner toe has a claw.

If that’s not varied enough, the front feet are flat-footed, or plantigrade– like humans’ feet, while the back feet are semi-digitigrade (a combination of a cat and a human). All four feet have gummy soles which are moistened by special glands, thus creating a suction-cup effect. You can imagine that these sticky feet, combined with hooves and claws would make for good climbers. Well, not only are hyraxes good at climbing rocks, but some can climb trees as well.

They are sun worshippers, and can be found getting warm on the rocks of the Arabian Peninsula, or in the trees of Africa. They eat a variety of grasses, herbs, fruits, berries and tree leaves. They can also stomach some plants that are known to be poisonous to most mammals. Hyraxes are able to glean enough water from their food source, but they’ll drink water if it is available. Their teeth bear resemblance to rodents and horses both, except they have two tusks on the upper jaw, and their lower teeth are comb-like so they can groom themselves. Because of their wide, gaping mouth and sharp teeth, hyraxes can take huge bites of grass and fill their stomachs quite readily when they eat.

With specialized feet designed for climbing and sharp tusks, you might think that the hyrax is a ferocious predator who can survive the dangers of the wild. Not quite. Hyraxes have very little control over their body temperature, and cannot live without having shelter from heat and cold. When they are basking in the sun, they are actually using its rays to warm themselves up in the morning. Then, when it gets too hot in the afternoon, they seek shade. When night falls, retreat to their holes, where they cuddle with their families for warmth. They don’t like rain either– hyraxes won’t come out of their holes during rainy weather at all! In fact, hyraxes do very little but eat, rest and sun– conserving energy and resources at the same time.

What animals would you suppose the hyraxes are related to? Mountain goats? Beavers? Racoons? Get this– the hyrax is considered a close relative of the elephant! In fact, research has found that the hyrax shares traits with early Eocene ungulates from which the elephants and manatees are thought to have descended. Hyraxes used to be more prevalent, but the rise of bovids– or two-toed ungulates– caused their decline.

Hyraxes are living proof that the animal kingdom contains a strange and wonderful group of beings. They inspire us to be uniquely ourselves!