Dassie Rat
Dassie RatDassie RatDassie RatDassie Rat

Dassie Rat

Petromus typicus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
10–20% · With luck
overall probability at Namib-Naukluft National Park
40 Verified records at Namib-Naukluft National Park
April Best month highest sighting rate

The dassie rat or noki (Petromus typicus) is a diurnal African rodent native to rocky outcrops in Namibia, parts of Angola, and northwestern South Africa. It is the only living member of its genus, Petromus, and family, Petromuridae. Key features of the dassie rat include a flattened skull and flexible ribs, allowing it to squeeze into extremely narrow rock crevices. The name "dassie" means "hyrax" in Afrikaans, and the two animals are found in similar habitats. Petromus means "rock mouse" and dassie rats are one of many rodents sometimes called rock rats. The family and genus names are sometimes misspelled as Petromyidae and Petromys. Wikipedia →

10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Dassie Rat sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park, based on 40 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Namib-Naukluft National Park

Cape Ground Squirrel

Cape Ground Squirrel

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Xerus inauris

30–40% · Possible
Cape Four-striped Grass Mouse
LC

Cape Four-striped Grass Mouse

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Rhabdomys pumilio

10–20% · With luck
Cape Porcupine
LC

Cape Porcupine

☀️🌙 Day & Night Mammal

Hystrix africaeaustralis

5–10% · With luck
Damara Ground Squirrel

Damara Ground Squirrel

Mammal

Xerus princeps

Insufficient data
Black-tailed Tree Rat
LC

Black-tailed Tree Rat

🌅 Crepuscular Mammal

Thallomys nigricauda

Insufficient data
Hairy-footed Gerbil

Hairy-footed Gerbil

Mammal

Gerbillurus paeba

Insufficient data
Bushveld Gerbil
LC

Bushveld Gerbil

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Gerbilliscus leucogaster

Insufficient data
Brants's Whistling Rat
LC

Brants's Whistling Rat

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Parotomys brantsii

Insufficient data
Gerbil Mouse
LC

Gerbil Mouse

Mammal

Malacothrix typica

Insufficient data
Littledale's Whistling Rat
LC

Littledale's Whistling Rat

Mammal

Parotomys littledalei

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

5–10
Jan
5–10
Feb
10–20
Mar
30–40
Apr
20–30
May
10–20
Jun
10–20
Jul
<5
Aug
10–20
Sep
10–20
Oct
5–10
Nov
5–10
Dec

🕐 When They’re Spotted

🕐

Sightings of Dassie Rat are recorded here, but fewer than 5 of them carry a time of day in GBIF — sighting probability uses whole days, so it is unaffected. The hourly pattern needs timestamps we don't have yet.

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
10–20%
2 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Dassie Rat in Namib-Naukluft National Park?

About 16% of wildlife watchers report a Dassie Rat sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park, based on 40 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Dassie Rat in Namib-Naukluft National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Dassie Rat in Namib-Naukluft National Park in our monthly data.

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