The most numerous detachment of mammals are rodents. A total of 2,277 species are described. They can be found almost everywhere, anywhere in the world, with the exception of Antarctica and some islands.
Usually, all rodents are small in size, from 5 to 130 cm, but on average do not exceed 50 cm. Many of them have a particularly long tail, which is much larger than the size of their body, but for some it is completely absent, as, for example, in marine pigs.
The smallest rodent is only 3 cm long (plus 2 cm is the tail), it weighs only 7 g. Some rodents are impressive in their size. So, the average weight of a capybara is 65 kg, and individual specimens weigh up to 91 kg.
The largest can be called rodents that have long become extinct. The remains of giant representatives of this group were found, the largest of which weighed from 1 to 1.5 tons, it is possible that it reached 2.5 tons. Now it’s impossible to meet such giants.
But still, the largest rodents in the world are striking in their size, despite the fact that our society has long had a stereotype that if it is a rodent, then it is a tiny animal that fits on the palm of your hand.
10. Indian giant squirrel
They call her and indian town hall. It is a wood squirrel that can be found in India. Prefers mixed or deciduous forests. These animals usually live in groups.
In each individual place of their habitation, they have their own fur color, so it is easy to determine where this or that beast was caught. Usually the color scheme consists of 2-3 colors, from beige to brown in different shades, there is still yellow. Between your ears indian giant squirrels there is a white spot.
The length of the squirrel, if we count the head and body is 36 cm (adult), but they also have a long tail, which grows to 61 cm. Adult squirrel weighs about 2 kg. They prefer to live in the upper tier of the forest. These are very cautious animals, they are active in the early morning and closer to the evening.
9. Soviet chinchilla
Despite the name, it’s not about chinchillas at all, but about the breed of rabbits that are bred into fur. She was bred to the USSR. Our specialists crossed American chinchillas with different breeds and were able to increase the animal's live weight to 5 kg.
In 1963, a new breed was approved. Soviet chinchilla. Its representatives are distinguished by thick fur, high-quality skin, large sizes, good endurance and early maturity.
Their torso is 60-70 cm long, they are silver or dark silver, the belly and part of the paws are black, there is the same color of the rim on the ears. An adult rabbit weighs from 3 to 5 kg, among them there are champions who gained up to 7-8 kg.
8. Nutria
Her other names are swamp beaver or coipu. «Nutria"Translated from Greek as"mouse beaver". In appearance it resembles a rat of huge sizes: the body grows up to 60 cm, the tail - 45 cm, it weighs from 5 to 12 kg. Males are usually larger than females.
She has a huge head with small ears and eyes, the muzzle in shape is blunt. The tail is hairless; this is a kind of steering wheel that is used when swimming. The fur of this animal is waterproof, brown.
Nutria lives in South America, but she was able to acclimatize in many countries. It is active at night. Lives in groups of 2-13 individuals.
7. Baibak
Other name - common groundhog. He lives in the virgin steppes of Eurasia. English name "Bobak marmot » came from the Turkic word "baibak", Which also means "marmot".
It is similar to other groundhogs, but stands out for its yellow color and short tail, which does not exceed 15 cm in length. Also, the baibak stands out for its size: the length of its body is from 50 to 70 cm, the profitable male can weigh up to 10 kg.
Once it was a common animal that lived in the steppe zone from Hungary to the Irtysh. But due to the plowing of virgin lands, the amount of land occupied by it has significantly decreased, because they cannot live in crops of vegetables and grains. Baibaki form perennial colonies, arrange a lot of holes for themselves. They feed on plant foods.
6. Pakarana
They call her differently. false pack. Pacarana looks like a guinea pig, but it's a pretty large rodent. The length of her body is from 73 to 79 cm, she weighs 10-15 kg.
This is a massive, heavy animal. The tail is about one third of the body in size. She has a wide head, on which rounded ears and unusually large eyes flaunt.
Pakarana is black or dark brown, there are white spots, the fur is coarse, sparse. You can meet her in the forests of the Amazon. These are slow animals. Not much is known about their life.
5. Mara
They are also called patagonian hares or patagonian pigs. Mara can grow up to 69-75 cm, large individuals gain weight up to 9-16 kg. The length of their tail is only 4.5 cm.
Their upper body is grayish in color, and the lower is whitish, with white or yellow stripes on their sides. The fur of this rodent is thick.
You can meet Mara in South America. They prefer to go out in search of food during the day, gather for joint feeding, eat plants.
4. Flanders
This is the name of one of the breeds of rabbits. She was bred in Belgium. Flanders - One of the most famous and widespread breeds, how it was received, is not exactly known.
These rabbits are bred in many countries, and in each of them flanders have their own characteristics. Allocate German, English, Spanish, etc. representatives of this breed. In the USSR, they did not take root due to the harsh climate, but were used to breed "gray giant».
Flanders are striking in their size. They have a long body - up to 67 cm, tall, thick and dense fur, color - gray or yellow-gray. Adult rabbits weigh 7 kg, some of them grow up to 10-12 kg, there are champions weighing 25 kg.
3. Crested porcupine
It is often called porcupine. The thick and stocky body of the animal is covered with needles of dark and white color. They have 2 types. There are long and flexible, growing up to 40 cm, and there are short and hard, 15-30 cm each, but differing in considerable thickness.
At crested porcupine rounded muzzle, round eyes are located on it. He has short legs, he moves slowly, but he knows how to run. He casts his voice very rarely, only in moments of danger or irritation.
This is a very large rodent, growing up to 90 cm, plus a tail - 10-15 cm. The average weight is 8-12 kg, but some well-fed males weigh up to 27 kg.
2. Beaver
Semi-aquatic mammal with beautiful fur, consisting of coarse hair and a very thick silky underfur. It is light chestnut or dark brown in color, tail and legs are black.
Beaver - one of the largest rodents, whose body length is from 1 to 1.3 m, and weight - from 30 to 32 kg. Once it was distributed throughout Europe and Asia, but by the beginning of the twentieth century it was almost exterminated, but now it can be found almost everywhere. Beavers settle near rivers, lakes, ponds, live in their huts, located under water or in holes in steep and steep banks.
1. Capybara
It is also called capybara. This is a herbivore of mammals, its name consists of 8 letters (capybara), is often asked in crosswords and scanwords. The length of his body is 1-1.35 m, height is 50-60 cm. Males can weigh from 34 to 63 kg, females - even more, from 36 to 65.5 kg. Outwardly, the capybara is somewhat similar to a guinea pig, it has an elongated body and stiff hair.
It can be seen in Central and South America. Lives near water, rarely leaves it for more than 1 thousand meters. Active during the day, but can go on a nocturnal lifestyle.
They can swim and dive, feed on aquatic plants, grass and hay, tubers. Capybaras are calm, friendly, they are often kept as pets.