Octodon (from Ancient Greek ὀκτώ (), meaning "eight", and ὀδούς (), meaning "tooth") is a genus of octodontid rodents native to South America, in particular in the Chilean Andes. The best-known member is the common degu, O. degus, which is kept as a pet in various countries. Two of the four species of degus are nocturnal.
Classification
This genus was first described in 1832 by the British zoologist Edward Turner Bennett.
Taxonomy
The genus name Octodon comes from Ancient Greek ὀκτώ (), meaning "eight", and ὀδούς (), meaning "tooth", referring to how their teeth, molars and premolars are shaped like the number 8.
The full list of species is:
- O. bridgesii, Bridges's degu, found in central Chile
- O. degus, the common degu or degu, found in central Chile
- O. lunatus, the moon-toothed degu, found in central Chile
- O. pacificus, the Pacific degu or Mocha Island degu, found exclusively on Mocha Island, Chile
- O. ricardojeda, Ricardo Ojeda's degu, found in western Argentina and Chile
Distribution
In the wild, all species of degus live in the Andes, mainly in the mountains of Chile, to which most of them are endemic, aside from a few populations of O. ricardojeda in the neighboring province of Neuquén, Argentina. They are found between 0 and 1,800 <abbr>m in</abbr> altitude.
These social animals dig a burrow made of a series of tunnels where they live in small to large groups composed of both males and females.
Conservation status
O. bridgesii (assessed as conspecific with O. ricardojeda) is considered vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, while O. pacificus is considered critically endangered. The other two species are considered of least concern.