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Glite Dictionary
Procavia capensis

Procavia capensis

9.9
A small, furry mammal that lives on rocky hills and cliffs in Africa and the Middle East
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Procavia capensis
  • The Procavia capensis, commonly known as the rock hyrax, prefers to live in rocky terrains.

Examples

  • The two species of hyrax commonly found in East Africa are: Rock Hyrax or Dassie (Procavia capensis).

    Academic text (2003)

  • Rock Hyrax or Dassie (Procavia capensis)

    Academic text (2003)

  • In the national park, we spotted a Procavia capensis sunbathing on a large boulder.

  • Visitors to Africa might see the Procavia capensis in its natural habitat among the cliffs.

Synonyms

rock hyrax
vsProcavia capensis
  • South African
9.9

A small animal that eats plants and lives on rocks in Africa and the Middle East

is the formal scientific name used in taxonomy rather than the common name

Surface Forms

Procavia capensis singular

Morphology

Procavia + capensis

This is a taxonomic Latin binomial (genus + specific epithet) whose constituents are a scientific genus name and a Latin adjective of place; knowing ordinary English words would not let a B1 learner derive 'rock hyrax' from these parts. While 'capensis' can signal geographic origin to those with classical or biological knowledge, that requires specialized knowledge beyond a B1 learner, so the meaning is not transparently recoverable.

Etymology

Procavia capensis is a scientific name that likely describes the animal: Procavia talks about its rock or cave home and capensis means 'from the Cape', the southern part of Africa. So the name makes a clear picture of a small animal living on rocks in the Cape, which explains why we call it the rock hyrax today.