Bush hyrax colony in the Mara North Conservancy, Kenya
© Jonathan & Angela Scott/Aurora Photos
Bush hyrax colony in the Mara North Conservancy, Kenya
In honour of the UN’s International Day of Families, we present the hyrax–a species with a rather surprising family tree. These furry mammals are often mistaken for rodents, but they’re more closely related to the elephant and manatee. Hyraxes even sport tusk-like incisors like their elephant cousins. To stay warm, the species spends much of its time sunbathing, an activity which makes them vulnerable to predators. But even hyrax families look out for one another—and a male hyrax will stand guard to watch for potential threats.
Baby white rhinoceros and mother in Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, South Africa
Red panda at the Chengdu Panda Base in Sichuan province, China
Humpback whales off the coast of Massachusetts
Red-billed oxpeckers on an impala in Mpumalanga, South Africa
African bush elephant herd, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Clouded leopard
A cowboy tends to horses in a barn at the Calgary Stampede on July 10, 2011 in Calgary
A father and a calf Ibex looking into the distance in Utah
