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Hyrax are herbivorous mammals that originate from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. They're furry, fat, measure between 12 and 28 inches long, and weigh between 4.4 and 11 lb. There are five species of Hyrax, which either live on rocks or in trees. Although they look like rodents, hyrax are actually the closest relatives to elephants and manatees (we kid you not).
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On 18 July 2019, three baby rock hyrax were born to mum Daissie and dad Nungu. There are two girls and a boy, and none of them have names yet. Perhaps that's because they don't do much yet, aside from sleep!
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These little cuties weigh no more than a banana (250 g), unlike their closest relative, the elephant, which weighs between 200 and 268 lb. So how are these unlikely creatures related? It all goes back to their shared ancestor, Tethytheria, which died around 50 million years ago. Although that's a long time for the animals to grow apart, they still share a few key qualities that is unique to only them.
Hyrax have tusks that grow from their incisor teeth, like elephants. All other mammals have tusks that grow from their canine teeth. They also both have flattened nails on their feet, rather than long nails like most mammals have, and similar skull structures to elephants. Who would have known?
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Hyrax love to cuddle together and lie in the sun, because they have poorly developed internal temperature regulation - which simply means that they can't keep themselves warm enough without these activities. Hyrax are social animals, and live in colonies of 50 members, so their favorite activity, sunbaking, is never a solitary activity. Perhaps this is when they exchange the day's gossip. Hyrax make over 20 unique sounds, from yipping to grunting, which is especially useful for when predators are close.
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The zookeepers at Chester Zoo must be pretty chuffed to have these new rock hyrax triplets to boast about. Lets wish them luck and hope they grow up to be happy, healthy creatures.
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