Southern Tree Hyrax

Southern Tree Hyrax

Dendrohyrax arboreus

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Nairobi National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

12 Verified sightings at Nairobi National Park From 2019 to 2026
57 In all 4 parks
November Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Southern Tree Hyrax

The southern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus), also known as the southern tree dassie, is a species of mammal in the family Procaviidae. The southern tree hyrax is mainly found in the south central eastern side of Africa.

The southern tree hyrax has a guinea pig-like appearance. It has long, soft, grey-brown fur that covers the body, while the underside is paler. Hairs are lighter near their tips and the ears have a fringe of white hair. They weigh about 2.27 kg (5.0 lb) on average, and have an average length of 52 cm (20 in).

It is found in Angola, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, moist savanna, and rocky areas. It may be found at elevations up to 4,500 m (14,800 ft).

The tree hyrax lives in trees and is mostly nocturnal, as opposed to the rock hyrax which lives among rocks and is mainly diurnal. It occurs singly, in pairs or in small groups, favouring hollow... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:01

Zambia · 2023

© Marc Anderson · XC1070940 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:20

Central African Republic · 2025

© Antoine Ede, Dzanga-Sangha protected Areas · XC1050403 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:22

Kenya · 2017

© Yvonne A. de Jong · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~40%
2 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
3 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
4 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
2 Ostrava Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
3 Stone Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
4 Rákosův pavilon 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
5 Velemlokárium 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Southern Tree Hyrax in Nairobi National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Tree Hyrax sighting in Nairobi National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 25th most-seen of the 30 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Southern Tree Hyrax in Nairobi National Park?

November

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Tree Hyrax in Nairobi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and August, the lowest months. That is one of Nairobi National Park's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain against 15 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Southern Tree Hyrax?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Tree Hyrax sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Nairobi National Park the best place to see a Southern Tree Hyrax?

2nd of 4

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Southern Tree Hyrax sightings, Nairobi National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda, about 40%).

Where does the Southern Tree Hyrax sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Southern Tree Hyrax is recorded against all the mammals logged in Nairobi National Park (12 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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