Hyrax Friends: Growing Up
Posted at 9:34 am May 22, 2008 by Carol PennerSee Carol’s previous blog, Hyrax Friends.
After vacation, I was looking forward to seeing my three new rock hyrax friends. But I came back to just one hyrax! The Wild Animal Park took the other two, named Squash and Yam, to be animal ambassadors for their Education programs. The Children’s Zoo decided to keep the third, named Green Bean. (They received these temporary names from the colors of nontoxic paint the nursery keepers dabbed on their heads to tell the three apart. Pictured, left to right, are Yam, Green Bean, and Squash.)
It’s interesting how our personalities may change as we “mature.” Rock hyraxes are social animals, yet Green Bean, now two months old, was much more leery of people than Squash and Yam had been. As it turned out, Yam and Squash had an alliance together (two’s company, three’s a crowd?). So, Green Bean had been left out. The nursery keepers believe that maybe that is why he became more social with them. Nothing against my Pebbles, but Green Bean is more like Wallace and Gromit: very sweet.
Time now to figure out a place to live. The Children’s Zoo has two rodents from South America that are ground dwellers: an agouti named Cutie, and Mara, a Patagonian cavy. Being a “rock” hyrax, maybe Green Bean could move in. Rocks, logs, tunnels, and ladders and branches to scurry up and down were added to the exhibit, along with a platform to be the King of the rocks.
What do we want to name him? Green Bean became Dassie. In South Africa, hyraxes are called rock rabbits or dassies, a Dutch word that means stone badger. But to me, he will always be Green Bean.
It’s fun to watch the interaction between the three of them. That little hyrax won’t be pushed around! Dassie is learning what to do to become a rock hyrax ambassador: wearing a collar, walking on a leash, and being comfortable inside of a crate. Dassie has no greater role model than Cutie, an outstanding agouti ambassador I’m looking forward to our next phase of training. Will he pick me out from a crowd?
Carol Penner is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.
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May 22nd, 2008 at 9:52 am
I much prefer Green Bean as a name – it’s full of character. I shall look forward to seeing him (and his friends at the wildlife park when I visit in July. What I find weird is how on earth are they related to elephants?
Moderator’s note: Scientists belive the hyrax and elephant originated from a primitive hoofed animal group. There are similarities in the toe bones, and teeth (you can see little tusks in the photo of Pebbles on the previous blog). The first elephants were just two feet high and lacked a trunk!
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I just came across this on one of my occasional hyrax searches. Carol, could we please have an update, plus pictures? I’d love to know how Dassie “Green Bean” is getting on, as well as his siblings.
Moderator’s note: We’ll see if Carol can provide an update.
August 21st, 2009 at 10:41 am
iI just love hyraxes because they are CUTE AND ADORABLE!