Rock Hyrax Headshot
by John Telfer
Title
Rock Hyrax Headshot
Artist
John Telfer
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
FAA WATERCOLOR MARK DOES NOT APPEAR ON FINAL SALES
While at the San Diego Zoo located in San Diego, California I photographed this Rock Hyrax that was sitting there staring at me. I had seen families of Rock Hyrax in the Bronx Zoo in New York, but they were busy running into the holes they had dug for themselves for protection. This Rock Hyrax stood right out in the open and it appeared was welcoming the opportunity to have his photo taken. He stared me down with those dark eyes and his gray fur, with a slight white under his stomach. I noticed after I took this photo his sharp claws and the long whiskers that he had. For more on the Rock Hyrax please feel free to read below;
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)!
It might look a bit like a large guinea pig or rabbit with very short ears, but the hyrax is neither. Instead, the hyrax has similar teeth, toes, and skull structures to that of an elephant�s. More importantly, the hyrax shares an ancestor with the elephant. The hyrax�s strong molars grind up tough vegetation, and two large incisor teeth grow out to be tiny tusks, just like an elephant�s.
The rock hyrax is covered in short brown fur, with a lighter underbelly. There are extra-long hairs that stick out around the body called guard hairs to help the hyrax feel its way around, the same way a cat uses its whiskers. The hyrax has short legs and rounded toes with a long nail, called a grooming claw, on the inner toe of the back foot that is used for picking through hair and scratching an itch.
A scent gland on its back (called a dorsal gland) is covered with longer black hairs. The gland is used to mark rocks or trees to communicate with other hyraxes. A male hyrax�s nose is larger than a female�s. All hyraxes have a special eyelid (called a nictitating membrane) for sun and dust protection; a bulge in each iris acts as a built-in sun visor.
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Uploaded
March 20th, 2012
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