Hobbies And Interests
Elephant
Elephants live in Africa and Asia, although according to the National Geographic, their ancestors used to live in most areas of the world. Two types of elephant exist; the African elephant and the Asian elephant, which has smaller ears than the African. Elephants live about 60 years compared to the hyrax's life span of only 12 years.
Manatee
Manatees are aquatic mammals, who only eat plants. They are ungainly looking creatures who move through the water slowly and are gentle to other animals. Manatees live in the Caribbean, in the waters of the Southeast United States and in Central American and South American waters. The mammals move between sea and freshwater and prefer to live in areas where the water temperature is higher than 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Manatees are about 10 feet in length and more than 1,500 lbs. when fully grown. They are gray/brown in color and can live about 60 years. They are descended from land mammals with four feet that lived millions of years ago.
Dugong
Dugongs are related to manatees and have similar characteristics, although they live in different areas of the world. Dugongs are found in the waters off countries that border the Indian Ocean and some countries on the Western rim of the Pacific. Dugongs look like manatees, with the gray/brown skin and dumpy body, apart from a split tail. They also eat plants and can stay underwater for six minutes, sometimes standing on their tails with their head above the water to breathe.
Similarities Between the Hyrax and Its Closest Relatives
Apart from the genetic similarities that allow scientists to place the hyrax in the evolutionary tree, the animal shares several physical characteristics with its closest relatives. The different species have similar teeth and the bones in the legs and feet are comparable, although not in size. All of the mammals have testes in undescended scrotums. Elephants and hyraxes also share tusks, toenails, sensitive hearing and pads in the feet that have lots of nerve endings.