Pedetes

Pedetes is a genus of African rodents called springhares, adapted for rapid, kangaroo-like hopping across open habitats. Its living members are the South African springhare and the East African springhare.

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Springhare: A long-legged African rodent that moves mainly by hopping and lives in open habitats. Springhare is the common name for rodents in the genus Pedetes.
Bipedal locomotion: Movement using two limbs for support and propulsion. Springhares travel in powerful two-legged bounds rather than a typical quadrupedal run.
South African springhare: Pedetes capensis, a springhare found across parts of southern Africa. It is the better-known living species in the genus.
Kangaroo: A large Australian marsupial with powerful hind limbs and a hopping mode of locomotion. Its similar hopping gait evolved independently from that of African springhares.
Species complex: A group of closely related species whose boundaries or relationships are difficult to resolve. Taxonomic treatment of the two living springhares has varied across classifications.
Rodent: A mammal in the order Rodentia, characterized by a pair of continuously growing incisors in each jaw. Pedetes belongs to the diverse mammalian order defined by its incisors.
Bounding gait: A running pattern in which the hind limbs propel the body forward together in repeated leaps. The springhare's rapid escape relies on repeated bounds powered by its hind limbs.
East African springhare: Pedetes surdaster, a springhare native to parts of eastern Africa. It is the second living species traditionally recognized in Pedetes.
Jerboa: A small jumping rodent of arid regions in Africa and Asia, with elongated hind limbs. Jerboas share a hopping body plan but belong to a different rodent family.
Mammal taxonomy: The classification and naming of mammals according to their evolutionary relationships. Changes in taxonomic evidence can alter how springhare species and populations are delimited.