# Rock hyrax (*Procavia capensis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/rock-hyrax  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The rock hyrax (Procavia capensis), also called the dassie or rock dassie, is a mammal of the order Hyracoidea and the family Procaviidae. It is a medium-sized animal with an adult body mass of 3.03 kg, and it is a diurnal, terrestrial herbivore. The rock hyrax is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.03 kg – 3.03 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 14 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 14.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 210 days – 240 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 – 4 |
| Age at maturity | 16.4 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Hyracoidea
- family: Procaviidae
- genus: Procavia
- species: *Procavia capensis* (Pallas, 1766)

Synonyms: *Cavia capensis*, *Heterohyrax antineae*, *Heterohyrax brucei antineae*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a rock hyrax?

The rock hyrax is a mammal of the order Hyracoidea and the family Procaviidae. It is also called the dassie or rock dassie.

### How heavy is a rock hyrax?

An adult rock hyrax has a body mass of 3.03 kg, which places it in the medium size class.

### What does a rock hyrax eat?

The rock hyrax is a herbivore.

### Is the rock hyrax endangered?

No. The rock hyrax is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a rock hyrax live?

The rock hyrax has a lifespan of 14 years, with values up to 14.81 years reported.

### How many young does a rock hyrax have?

A rock hyrax has 2 to 4 young per litter and one litter per year, after a gestation period of 226.4 days.

### Who named the rock hyrax?

The rock hyrax, Procavia capensis, was named by Pallas in 1766, written as (Pallas, 1766).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Rock hyrax (Procavia capensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/rock-hyrax