Degu of the pircas (Octodón degus) . Caviomorph rodent with firm and slightly silky fur, dorsally yellowish-brown. On the flanks yellow-ochraceous and ventrally whitish yellow. With curved tail (40% of total length) dorsally and with a terminal brush of black hairs.
Summary
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- 1 Description
- 2 Distribution
- 3 He lives
- 4 Food
- 5 Sources
Description
Caviomorph rodent with firm and slightly silky fur, dorsally yellowish-brown. Ocraceous yellow on the flanks and whitish yellow on the ventral side. With curved tail (40% of total length) dorsally and with a terminal brush of black hairs. Its tail is functional for jumping, acting as a paddle and rocker.
Forelimbs provided with 4 complete fingers and a rudimentary thumb. Its hind limbs are favorable for jumping, long and ending in 5 fingers. Its plants present granulations and lack developed bearings. Hands and feet have grayish white backs. Occasionally albino specimens are observed. big ears
Distribution
Distribution from the province of Huasco Vallenar (Atacama Region) to Rapel (Region of the Liberator Bernardo O`Higgins).
Colonial, It builds underground burrows, many of them at the base of the Acacia caven thicket and bushes of the Muehlenbeckia hastulata species, with several 40x30cm chambers, in addition to 1-4 hiding places linked together by clear paths.
The colonies have permanent burrowing activity during the year, increasing after the first rains in winter and spring. These burrows do not obey any fixed plan regarding length, depth, number of galleries and chambers, etc. Due to continuous use, the paths end up as assiduously traveled gutters. Family groups consist of one male, 2-3 females, and 4-6 juveniles per female, depending on the season. Juveniles appear to migrate in early fall to locate in their own burrows and form a similar harem.
Habitat
The Octodon degus lives in the wild in underground galleries that it digs in the scrub steppes or mountainous areas of the Andes, although it is also possible to see them in semi-marshy lands or near crop fields, given the proximity of their food.
Although it is an endemic animal of the Araucaria forests in Chile , it is possible to find degus in certain areas of Peru , Bolivia or Argentina near the Andes. Its distribution ranges from sea level to 2000 meters of altitude, but they prefer high and rocky areas.
Feeding
Degus are herbivores, feeding on grass and shrub leaves, although they can also take seeds. Their feeding rate depends on how quickly they can digest this relatively low quality food, and this varies between food type and environmental conditions, and like some other herbivores such as rabbits, they exhibit coprophagia, eating their own feces. to extract more nutrients from them.
This also serves to maintain healthy bowel function when food is scarce. Although they are active during the day, in the summer they do not leave their burrows in the middle of the day, and in hot conditions they forage for food as quickly as possible rather than maximizing the quality of their food. They tend to search in shady areas, although this tendency is reduced in the absence of predators.
In open areas they spend more time guarding, so their effectiveness in gathering food is less. Degus have a significant impact on the vegetation in the areas where they live, and as the only rodent that gathers food during the day, their numbers influence the amount of food available to the more numerous nocturnal rodents. However, the number of individuals of all species of degus has declined in recent decades, probably due to human alterations.
