Want to know where and when to find Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax? opspoor shows recent sightings across South Africa's parks and when each species is usually active.
Where to see Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax in South Africa
Easiest first. Pick a park for when and where to look there.
About the Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax
Also known as the Bush Hyrax, this rocky-outcrop dweller closely resembles the Rock Hyrax but is smaller, lighter built and has a narrower muzzle. Colonies of dozens to hundreds shelter in rock crevices and boulder piles, basking together on exposed rocks by day and often sharing the same kopjes as Rock Hyrax without interbreeding. A pale patch above the eyes and a yellowish dorsal gland patch help distinguish it in the field.
How to identify the Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax
Smaller and slighter than the Rock Hyrax, with a narrower muzzle and a pale patch of hair above the eyes. Often seen basking on the same rocky outcrops as Rock Hyrax, so look closely at build and muzzle shape rather than assuming every hyrax on a kopje is the same species.
Did you know?
Despite looking like an overgrown rodent, the hyrax's closest living relatives are elephants and sea cows, sharing tusk-like incisors and small hoof-like nails as evolutionary echoes of that ancestry.
Also known as: Geelkoldas, Bush Hyrax
Planning a safari? Pick a park above to see when and where to look for Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax, and log your own sightings in opspoor, even with no signal.