In honor of the UN’s International Day of Families, we present the hyrax–a species with a rather surprising family tree. These furry mammals are often mistaken for rodents, but they’re more closely related to the elephant and manatee. Hyraxes even sport tusk-like incisors like their elephant cousins. To stay warm, they spend much of their time sunbathing, an activity which makes them vulnerable to predators. But even hyrax families look out for one another—and a male hyrax will stand guard to watch for potential threats.
Celebrating the UN’s International Day of Families
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Tide pools in La Jolla, California
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Freeloaders of the avian world
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A river runs through it
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Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Laos and Thailand
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Bird’s-eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
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Memorial Day
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Devetashka Cave, Devetaki, Bulgaria
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The meeting point of the winds
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Sligachan Old Bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Heri es-Swani in Meknes, Morocco
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Bay Marker Lookout, Sydney Olympic Park, Australia
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A snuggling ball of cute
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Great Fountain Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
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Autumn in the cypress swamp
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Joshua Tree National Park, California
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Iceberg off the coast of Antarctica
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Happy New Year!
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Mute swans
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Village of Saranac Lake, New York
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1934 Labor Day parade, Gastonia, North Carolina
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Night of the ‘Cold Moon’
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It’s Endangered Species Day
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International Day of Peace
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Hiding in plain sight
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Traditional red fishermens cabins, Reine, Norway
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Victory in Europe, 75 years ago
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Gray days ahead in Monterey
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Spotted eagle rays in the Galápagos Islands
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It s Coffee Day
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Seitan Limania Beach, Crete
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

