---
title: "What the sources say about the Rock Hyrax | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "37 claims from the Rock Hyrax profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Rock Hyrax (*Procavia capensis*)

> 37 claims from the Rock Hyrax profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Rock Hyrax](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/rock-hyrax/)

## Butynski, Betjes & Jong (2026). Procavia capensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2026: e.T41766A278607316.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2026-1.rlts.t41766a278607316.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus; GBIF copy of the Red List) |
| The IUCN Red List rates the rock hyrax Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: assessment year not stated: GBIF copy gives the category only) |

## Rock hyrax. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/rock-hyrax

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A stub-tailed, rabbit-like | small, stub-tailed, rabbit-like animals native to Africa (note: tagline) |
| whose closest living relatives are elephants and manatees | their closest living relatives are actually elephants and manatees (note: tagline; body; FAQ) |
| Neither. It looks like a rodent, but its closest living relatives are elephants and manatees. | Though rock hyraxes resemble rodents, their closest living relatives are actually elephants and manatees. |
| Rocky, scrub-covered areas across much of Africa, and in Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, the Sinai and the Arabian Peninsula. | Rock hyraxes live throughout much of Africa and in Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas in rocky, scrub-covered areas. (note: stats.habitat; body) |
| An adult weighs roughly 2 to 5 kilograms and measures 30 to 56 centimeters for head and body together | Adult rock hyraxes weigh 4 to 12 pounds (2 to 5 kilograms). Their head and body size ranges from 12 to 22 inches (30 to 56 centimeter) |
| Its foot pads feel like rubber and stay damp with a gland's secretion, and the middle of each pad is hollowed into a suction cup | The soles of their feet are rubber-like and are kept moist by a glandular secretion. There is also a hollow in the middle of the sole formed by a muscle arrangement that allows it to act like a suction cup. |
| Together, these let a hyrax climb well and run and jump on steep, rugged rock | Both of these characteristics make rock hyraxes very agile animals that climb well and run and jump skillfully, even on rugged and steep surfaces. |
| Its upper incisors grow continuously and look like small tusks | Their upper incisors grow continuously and look like small tusks. |
| is a small, stub-tailed, rabbit-like animal from Africa | small, stub-tailed, rabbit-like animals native to Africa |
| The species lives in rocky, scrub-covered areas across much of Africa, and in Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Sinai and the Arabian Peninsula | Rock hyraxes live throughout much of Africa and in Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas in rocky, scrub-covered areas. |

## Rock hyrax. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/rock-hyrax

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Mostly grasses in the wet season, switching to fruits and leaves when the grass dries. | During the wet season, rock hyraxes eat mostly grass, but when the grass dries, they switch to browse materials: fruits and leaves. (note: stats.diet) |
| Colonies live among rocks and may hold up to 50 individuals | They may live in colonies of up to 50 individuals |
| They start the day with a group sunbathing session | Each day starts with a group sunbathing session for several hours. |
| adults are inactive about 95 percent of the time | Adult hyraxes are inactive 95 percent of the time. |
| the dominant male stops between mouthfuls to scan for threats and gives a shrieking alarm when something worries him | the dominant male pauses between bites to watch for danger. He sounds a shriek alarm if he sees anything of concern |
| rock climber | Hyrax feet are built for rock climbing (note: tagline) |

## Procavia capensis (rock hyrax). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Procavia_capensis/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Grasses make up about 78 percent of the diet in the wet season and 57 percent in the dry season, according to Animal Diversity Web | Grasses make up 78% of the diet during the wet season, but only 57% during the dry season. |
| Males weigh about 4 kg and females about 3.6 kg, and the species is described as heavily built for its size. | These hyraxes are heavily built for their size, weighing as much as 4.3 kg. Males (4 kg) are slightly larger than females (3.6 kg) |

## AnAge entry for Procavia capensis. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Procavia_capensis

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| AnAge lists one captive that reached 14.8 years, and says wild animals have been reported to live for 8.5 years | In the wild, animals have been reported to live for 8.5 years [ 0434 ]. One captive specimen lived for 14.8 years [ 0671 ]. |
| AnAge gives a maximum longevity of 14.8 years, set in captivity. Reports from the wild give 8.5 years. | Maximum longevity 14.8 years (captivity) Source ref. 671 Sample size Medium Data quality Acceptable Observations In the wild, animals have been reported to live for 8.5 years |

## Kershenbaum et al. (2012). Syntactic structure and geographical dialects in the songs of male rock hyraxes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0322

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Males sing songs whose syllable order differs between regions of Israel, like dialects. | Syntactic dialects exist, and the syntax of hyrax calls is significantly different between different regions in Israel. (note: stats.superpower) |
| examined the order of syllables in these songs with algorithms normally used on genetic sequences | We adopted three algorithms, commonly used in genetic sequence analysis and information theory, to examine the order of syllables in hyrax calls. |
| The syntax, meaning the way syllables are arranged, differed between regions of Israel, and the authors call these syntactic dialects | Syntactic dialects exist, and the syntax of hyrax calls is significantly different between different regions in Israel. |
| The authors say this hints that hyraxes may learn their calls | suggest the possibility of vocal production learning in the hyrax |
| Male rock hyraxes sing strings of syllables, and the order of those syllables differs from one region to another | Syntactic dialects exist, and the syntax of hyrax calls is significantly different between different regions in Israel. (note: vibe.reason) |

## Koren, Mokady & Geffen (2008). Social status and cortisol levels in singing rock hyraxes. Hormones and Behavior.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.02.020

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a third of the adult males made a loud, elaborate call that the researchers labelled singing | a third of the adult male hyraxes also produces a rich, complex and loud vocalization we term 'singing' |
| In one study population, about a third of the adult males sang | a third of the adult male hyraxes also produces a rich, complex and loud vocalization we term 'singing' (note: FAQ; 'at the study site' scope) |
| Among singing males, the dominant ones had the highest levels of cortisol, which the researchers used as a measure of basal stress. | Only in singers, C levels are associated with social rank, with dominants showing the highest levels. (note: C = cortisol, defined in the abstract as basal stress) |
| Singers were also, on average, older and more dominant than most silent adult males, and they mated more often | Singers are also on average older and more dominant than most other sexually mature non-singing males. Further, they copulate more than non-singers |
| with singing males | a third of the adult male hyraxes also produces a rich, complex and loud vocalization we term 'singing' (note: tagline) |
| some males sing | a third of the adult male hyraxes also produces a rich, complex and loud vocalization we term 'singing' |
| the rest stayed silent | their C levels are higher than those of silent males (note: FAQ 3) |
| Stress of domination | Our results support the 'stress of domination' hypothesis (note: blockquote lead-in) |

## Barocas et al. (2011). Variance in Centrality within Rock Hyrax Social Networks Predicts Adult Longevity. PLoS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0022375

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In 11 years of data on one wild population in Israel, hyraxes in groups where members had more equal social ties lived longer. | We applied network theory using 11 years of behavioral data to quantify the centrality of individuals within groups, and found adult longevity to be inversely correlated to the variance in centrality. In other words, animals in groups with more equal associations lived longer. |
| one wild population in Israel | We analyzed social bonds in a wild rock hyrax ( Procavia capensis ) population using 11 years of accumulated behavioral data collected in Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, Israel. |