East African tree hyrax
Dendrohyrax validus
Key identification features
All hyraxes are small, rabbit sized brown animals with short ears, short legs and without a visible tail. The tree hyraxes are densely furred except for a naked dorsal patch and they have elongated hand and feet. The East African tree hyrax has a naked patch of 20-40-mm and the dorsal fur has a reddish brown tinge. HB 32-60cm. Wt 1.5-4.5 kg.
Habitat and social behaviour
The East African tree hyrax is restricted to the Tanzanian coast and coastal islands and montane forests in the east of the country. All tree hyraxes are nocturnal and territorial. They are usually scattered singly or in small groups, however, sometimes they occur in high densities.
Similar species
The different species of tree hyrax are most easily distinguished by their distribution and call. The western tree hyrax has a bigger naked patch of 42-72mm than the southern tree hyrax, and white dorsal fur.
Distribution Map
Historical Distribution Map
References for historical distribution map
Photo gallery