Moon-toothed degu

The moon-toothed degu (Octodon lunatus) is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae.[2] It is endemic to Chile, occurring in mountainous areas along the Pacific coast in the central part of the country.[1][3]

Moon-toothed degu
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Octodontidae
Genus: Octodon
Species:
O. lunatus
Binomial name
Octodon lunatus
Osgood, 1943

Biology and physiology

Unlike its close relative the common degu, the moon-toothed degu is nocturnal (active at night).[4] The ventral fur of this species has been found to be much less reflective of UV light than other octodontids,[5] most likely as a result of its nocturnal habits.

The moon-toothed degu has deep molar indentations but lacks a fold on the inside of the last molar.[6]

Habitat

The species is less widely distributed in Chile than the common degu and inhabits dense scrubland near the coast.[3] Habitat ranges from sea level to 1,200 m in the Andes.[5]

References
  1. Lessa, E.; Ojeda, R. & Bidau, C. (2009). "Octodon lunatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 30 Jan 2011.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Infraorder Hystricognathi". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1572. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. Saavedra, B.; Simonetti, J. (2003), "Holocene distribution of Octodontid rodents in central Chile", Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, 76 (3): 383–389, doi:10.4067/s0716-078x2003000300004
  4. Ocampo-Garcés, A.; Mena, W.; Hernández, F.; Cortés, N.; Palacios, A.G. (2006), "Circadian chronotypes among wild-captured west Andean octodontids", Biol. Res., 39 (2): 209–220, doi:10.4067/s0716-97602006000200003, PMID 16874396
  5. Cha'vez, A.; Bozinovic, F.; Peich, F.; Palacios, A. (2003), "Retinal spectral sensitivity, fur coloration and urine reflectance in the genus Octodon (Rodentia): Implications for visual ecology", Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 44 (5): 2290–2296, doi:10.1167/iovs.02-0670
  6. Woods, C.; Boraker, D. (1975), "Octodon degus", Mammalian Species, 67 (67): 1, doi:10.2307/3503820, JSTOR 3503820


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