Within the past few months, you may have seen a unique, rodent-looking animal screaming on your For You Page. Or, you have no idea what I’m talking about. Either way, I want to discuss the emergence of a new creature across the internet – the hyrax. What is this animal? Where does it come from? Can the hyrax compare to the internet’s most beloved animals, like the axolotl, capybara, or the famous baby hippo from Thailand, Moo Deng? These are all questions I hope to answer in this article.
According to the African Wildlife Foundation, there are three types of hyraxes: the rock hyrax, the yellow-spotted hyrax, and the tree hyrax.
All hyraxes are native to East Africa, however, rock hyraxes are also found along the coast of the Arabian Peninsula up to northern Middle Eastern countries, such as Lebanon, according to the San Diego Zoo in Southern California. Although rock hyraxes might look like they’re related to rodents, due to their short brown fur and whiskers, they are actually the closest living relative of elephants! They share similar toes, teeth, and skulls. Rock hyraxes inhabit places with lots of boulders or rocky environments that provide shelter. According to the San Diego Zoo, their homes can be identified by white patches of crystallized urine on the rocks.
According to the African Wildlife Foundation, yellow-spotted hyraxes, which also inhabit rocky environments, are smaller than rock hyraxes, and have pointier noses. The yellow-spotted hyrax has a white or yellow-toned dorsal spot (a scent gland used for marking territory) on its back, while the dorsal spot of a rock hyrax is black or yellow.
Tree hyraxes, the most introverted of the three species, live in trees, as their name suggests. According to the African Wildlife Foundation, they have lots of long, soft fur, and a white or yellow dorsal spot, much like the yellow-spotted hyrax.
Hyraxes are herbivores and live in colonies of up to 60 individuals, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Rock hyraxes and yellow-spotted hyraxes can be found living in close proximity to one another, and often huddle together in the mornings.
A popular hyrax TikTok with over two million likes, uploaded by @cooperIsdumb on Sept. 23 of this year, showcases the distinct “WAWA” noise hyraxes make. In a May 7, 2023 Instagram post from The Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada, a male rock hyrax is seen vocalizing. According to the post, rock hyraxes use different “songs” to announce their territory or attract mates. These sounds can take the form of snorts, grunts, squeaks, or wails.
With all this being said, has the hyrax earned a place among the internet’s most beloved animals?
With the rapid influx of hyrax memes encompassing popular formats, such as, “I have two sides” and, “What service is he providing?” it’s apparent that hyraxes have gained traction over the past few months and will continue to do so. A simple “hyrax” search on Instagram will provide hundreds of posts, some from hyrax fan pages, like @hyraxhub, with over 84,000 followers.
Although hyraxes may not have skyrocketed to fame quite like Moo Deng or Pesto the Penguin, it’s easy to see why people are gravitating toward them. I think hyraxes undoubtedly give off the same allure as axolotls and capybaras. They are questionably cute, rotund, and just overall silly – three traits the internet adores.