Dassie Rat
Petromus typicus
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderRodentia (Rodents)
- FamilyPetromuridae (Dassie Rats)
- GenusPetromus
- SpeciesPetromus typicus (Dassie Rat)
About the Dassie Rat
The dassie rat or noki (Petromus typicus) is a diurnal African rodent native to rocky outcrops in Namibia, parts of Angola, and northwestern South Africa. It is the only living member of its genus, Petromus, and family, Petromuridae. Key features of the dassie rat include a flattened skull and flexible ribs, allowing it to squeeze into extremely narrow rock crevices. The name "dassie" means "hyrax" in Afrikaans, and the two animals are found in similar habitats.
Petromus means "rock mouse" and dassie rats are one of many rodents sometimes called rock rats. The family and genus names are sometimes misspelled as Petromyidae and Petromys. The species is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Dassie rats are squirrel-like in appearance. Their tails are hairy, but not bushy, whereas the soles of their feet are distinctly bare and have pads. Their skull is flattened and their ribs are flexible which helps them to squeeze into tiny rock crevices. Their cheek teeth have two raised ridges that help grind plant material. Their chewing involves a vertical up-and-down motion rather than the typical transverse side-to-side grinding of grazers. The overall coloration... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Dassie Rat in Namib-Naukluft National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Namib-Naukluft National Park
Cape Ground Squirrel
Xerus inauris
Cape Four-striped Grass Mouse
Rhabdomys pumilio
Cape Porcupine
Hystrix africaeaustralis
Damara Ground Squirrel
Xerus princeps
Namib Dune Gerbil
Gerbillurus tytonis
Black-tailed Tree Rat
Thallomys nigricauda
Hairy-footed Gerbil
Gerbillurus paeba
Bushveld Gerbil
Gerbilliscus leucogaster
Brants's Whistling Rat
Parotomys brantsii
Gerbil Mouse
Malacothrix typica
Littledale's Whistling Rat
Parotomys littledalei
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Dassie Rat in Namib-Naukluft National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dassie Rat sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Dassie Rat in Namib-Naukluft National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Dassie Rat in Namib-Naukluft National Park in our monthly data.