Western tree hyrax
Dendrohyrax dorsalis
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 western tree hyrax has a naked patch 42-72mm and white dorsal fur. HB 32-60cm. Wt 1.5-4.5 kg.
Habitat and social behaviour
Western tree hyraxes live and forage in trees in forest and moist savannah. All tree hyraxes are nocturnal and territorial. They are usually scattered singly or in small groups. However, they can occur in high densities.
Similar species
The western tree hyrax has a very distinctive call and is only known from the north-western corner of Tanzania.