habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
Confined to the southwestern arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, the Dassie Rat is associated with rocky areas of mountainous habitats and inselbergs (de Graaff 1981; Skinner & Smithers 1990). This species lives among rocky outcrops, seeking shelter for nest sites in crevices and under large boulders (George 1981; Skinner & Chimimba 2005). In the Augrabies Falls National Park this species co-occurs with the Rock Hyrax, where they compete for rocky shelters. Dassie Rats have a flattened skull and are restricted to rocky microhabitats that are too small for Rock Hyraxes to enter (George & Crowther 1981).Dassie Rats may live in colonies (Coetzee 2002), or form monogamous pairs (Rathbun & Rathbun 2006), defending territories comprised of rocky cracks and crevices for shelter, and open areas for predator surveillance and basking, which are close enough to forage resources (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). Having low energy and water requirements, Dassie Rats are well adapted to arid areas, and in the largest portion of their range, the Namib Desert, they may acquire moisture from advective fog or from the consumption of succulent plants (Withers 1979). This species is diurnal, and peak activity occurs during the early mornings and late afternoons.
The herbivorous diet of this species is highly varied (Rathbun & Rathbun 2005). In Augrabies Falls National Park their diets comprised mostly of monocotyledonous grasses, such as Enneapogon scaber, Cenchrus ciliarus and Triraphis ramossissima, while the dicotyledons, such as Schotia afra and Hermannia stricta made up a lesser proportion (George 1981). George (1981) describes how Dassie Rats feed off the water-rich bases of grass stems, which contain three times more moisture than the top portion of grass stems. This species has also been recorded feeding on leaves of Tribulus spp., flowers and the fruit of Cucumis dinteri (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). As it is unable to survive on air-dried seeds in the laboratory (Withers et al. 1980), the consumption of moisture-rich vegetation may be critical for its survival in the wild.
The timing of breeding varies, but is closely related to rainfall, occurring predominantly in late spring and autumn (Coetzee 2002). Following a gestation period of about three months, between one and three (usually two) young are born in nests within rocky cracks (Coetzee 2002; Mess 2002).
Ecosystem and cultural services: This species been recognised as a valuable prey resource for aerial predators, as well as Black Mongooses (Galerella nigrata) (Rathbun & Cowley 2008). Rathbun and Rathbun (2005) suggest that the association between this species and Rock Hyraxes may be mutually beneficial, due to enhanced vigilance for predators.
