The rock hyrax can only be seen in our country in the Valencian park, which is celebrating the successful birth of 3 offspring within the international programme for its conservation.
At the end of August, some people visiting BIOPARC witnessed an exciting event, watching live the birth of a very little-known mammal, the rock hyrax (Procavia capensis). The result was New litter with 3 babies which represents a new success for the Valencian park in the International Program (EEP) for the conservation of this speciesFollowing the protocol, the priority is to offer maximum well-being and, in this particular case, it is necessary to guarantee their optimal development during the first weeks by keeping them in indoor enclosures.
BIOPARC Valencia houses the only group of this species in Spain, with 6 individuals, with the uniqueness that they can be seen in an extraordinary recreation of the kopjes of the African savannah, attractive granite formations that lions use as watchtowers. The aviary is located in this well-known area of the Valencian park and, coexisting with different and striking birds, offers the possibility of observing the natural behavior of hyraxes, climbing and moving with great agility along the vertical rocks.
The technical team has carried out several check-ups during the safety period, which has allowed them to be sexed and confirmed that they are males, as well as administering the necessary vaccines. They are now ready to continue their growth in this multi-species enclosure and these first few days the babies have been particularly curious, exploring and discovering their new environment. In addition, they have shown great interest in the species with which they share space, such as the vulturine guinea fowl and the African spoonbill.
“I-span-ya” (land of hyraxes) originated the name of Spain when the Phoenicians referred to the rabbits that populated the peninsula as hyraxes.
Among the Interesting Facts that surround the rock hyrax It is worth noting that it is among the various hypotheses about the origin of the name of Spain. There are specialists who have determined that the Roman word “Hispania” comes from “I-span-ya” which meant “land of hyraxes” for the Phoenicians. At that time in history they found our peninsula full of rabbits, an animal almost unknown to them and which they confused with hyraxes, very common in Africa, so they called Spain “land of hyraxes”.
It is even stranger to discover regarding the evolution of the hyrax, which resembles a large marmot or guinea pig with its ears and short tail, is closely related to elephants (Loxodonta africana). On the BIOPARC tour you can see these two extremely different species and now it is especially attractive since The herd of elephants has two calves, Makena and Malik.
Biologically For such a small animal, the following stands out: The prolonged eight-month gestation period of the hyraxesThey are territorial animals, males and females are the same size and weigh no more than 4 kg. They are active during the day and usually live in colonies of 4 to 8 individuals, but when the offspring are born, they can even have up to 25 animals in the entire colony.
