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What is a Hyrax?

What is a Hyrax?

What is a Hyrax?

“What is a Hyrax?” Some sort of rodent? Or squirrel relative? Not exactly…

Hyraxes are small round animals from the Hyracoidea family. They are rodent-like in appearance, but are actually related to elephants and manatees! These three animals make up the Paenungulata grandorder. You can see the resemblance in their small fang-like tusks, their more complex family dynamics, and their love of sunbathing.

While other small prey animals often stay silent, Hyraxes sing calls throughout the night. They are very vocal creatures. Adult hyraxes sing unique songs made up of bouts of vocalizations. Younger hyraxes cry “mama!” when in need.

Hyraxes are listed in the Bible several times. According to scripture, Hyraxes are seen as wise creatures. What they lack in size, they make up for in wisdom. They find their home amongst the rocks to hide from danger. And by calling to each other, they show a level of coordination that we should strive for.

Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:  the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;  the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank;  the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. (Proverbs 30:24-28)
“The high mountains are for the wild goats (Ibex); the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.” (Psalm 104:18)

They are also referred to as unclean for our consumption, as they appear to chew their cud. In a way, they are protected by God!

"Hyraxes, though they chew the cud,do not have hooves—they are unclean for you" (Leviticus 11:5)
"You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you." (Deuteronomy 14)

Some people believe that the word “Spain” is derived from the ancient Phoenician “land of Hyraxes,” because of their unfamiliarity to the local fauna. While we may wish that hyraxes roamed the hills of Spain, they likely misunderstood what the rabbits around the Iberian peninsula were.

This is similar to how different translations of the Bible use “coneys,” or “rock badgers” to refer to Hyraxes, as many people in Europe were unfamiliar with the animal.

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Hyraxes are small rodent-like animals related to elephants and manatees!

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