A tuco-tuco is a neotropical rodent in the family Ctenomyidae.Parada, A., G. D’Elia, C.J. Bidau, and E.P. Lessa. 2011. Species Groups and the Evolutionary Diversification of Tuco-Tucos, genus ''Ctenomys'' (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae). ''Journal of Mammalogy'' 92(3): 671-682. Tuco-tucos belong to the only living

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of the family Ctenomyidae, ''Ctenomys'', but they include approximately 60 different species. The common name, "tuco-tuco" comes from the "tuc-tuc" sound they make while they dig their burrows.Anonymous. 2013. "Southern Tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys australis'')." ARKive. 04 Oct. 2013. http://www.arkive.org/southern-tuco-tuco/ctenomys-australis/ The relationships among the species are debated by

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are give ...

s. It has been described that they are in a state of "taxonomic chaos", but banded karyotypes have been used to help make progress on their taxonomic study.Lessa, E. 1998. The Molecular Phylogenetics of Tuco-Tucos (genus ''Ctenomys'', Rodentia: Octodontidae) Suggests an Early Burst of Speciation. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 9(1): 88-99. Their closest relatives are degus and other octodontids. All species of tuco-tucos are found in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

from Peru and central Brazil southward. The tuco-tucos of South America have an ecological role equivalent to that of the

pocket gopher Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 speciesSearch results for "Geomyidae" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database are all endemic to North and Central America. They are ...

s of North America. They occupy an ecological niche previously taken by

gondwanathere Gondwanatheria is an extinct group of mammaliaforms that lived in parts of Gondwana, including Madagascar, India, South America, Africa and Antarctica during the Upper Cretaceous through the Paleogene (and possibly much earlier, if '' Allostaffi ...

s such as ''

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

'' earlier in the Cenozoic.

Anatomy

Tuco-tucos have heavily built cylindrical bodies with short legs and their pelage ranges in color from black to light grey. Their skin is loosely applied, possibly to slide about the tunnels they create. They have long fore feet for burrowing, and bristled hind feet for grooming. They also have large heads, small ears, and hairy tails. Their bodies range in size from in length, and they can weigh as little as 100 grams (''C. pundti'') to more than 1000 grams (''C. conover'').Luna, F. and C. Antinuchi. 2007. Energy and Distribution in Subterranean Rodents: Sympatry between Two Species of the Genus ''Ctenomys''. ''Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology'' 147(4): 948-954.

Distribution

Members of the genus ''Ctenomys'' are widely distributed, but over 50 of the species are found in the southern half of South America. They can be seen in many areas from the southern portion of Peru and southern Brazil to the Tierra del Fuego at the southernmost tip of South America, through parts of Chile and a majority of Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina. Their ranges occur from coastal grasslands to mountain slopes, including the Andean Puna at over 4000 meters, and depend on factors such as soil type, ambient temperature, and

primary productivity In ecology, primary production is the synthesis of organic compounds from atmospheric or aqueous carbon dioxide. It principally occurs through the process of photosynthesis, which uses light as its source of energy, but it also occurs through c ...

. The only sympatric distribution of this genus occurs between ''C. australis'' and ''C. talarum'' in a coastal dune region.

Habitat

Tuco-tucos live in excavated burrows and spend a majority (up to 90%) of their lives underground. It is estimated that they represent about 45% of all the underground rodents of the world. Their burrows maintain a fairly constant temperature and humidity level that is independent of the geographic region. In order to excavate the soil, they have many morphological adaptations, including their body shape, reduced eyes, and strong limbs.Steiner-Souza, F., T.R.O. De Freitas, and P. Cordeiro-Estrela. 2010. Inferring Adaptation within Shape Diversity of the Humerus of Subterranean Rodent ''Ctenomys''. ''Biological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 100(2): 353-367. Their olfaction is increased and is used to help orient themselves during digging and establishing a territory. The two techniques they use for digging are scratch-digging and skull-tooth digging. A combination of the two methods are often used. Their claws and forelimbs are used primarily for scratch-digging, and their skull and incisor teeth are used secondarily for skull-tooth digging.

Behavior

Tuco-tucos are diurnal and alternate periods of activity and periods of rest throughout the day.

Food

They primarily search for food by digging passageways. Due to the high energy cost of foraging for food, their diet is rather broad.

Courtship

Very little is known about the courtship of the tuco-tucos, as it takes place underground inside their burrows. It is known that the male takes an aggressive posture and exchanges chemical or acoustic signals with the female.

Diversity

Among their most notable features is that various members of the genus exhibit differing levels of genetic variability and sociality. Most of these species are solitary animals; however, some are semisocial or social, with a tendency for the most social species (e.g. ''C. sociabilis'') to have the least genetic variation. While the processes behind its diversification are unknown, it has been suggested that they are among the most diversely speciated genus of mammals, largely due to chromosomal rearrangements and rapid speciation since their appearance in the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene era. Their chromosomal diversity is so impressive because their diploid numbers range from 10 to 70.

Human impact

The species in this genus are at risk of predation by humans because they are viewed as agricultural pests.

Indigenous people

Prior to the European settlement the tuco-tuco was an important food resource in

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

for the

Fuegian Fuegians are the indigenous inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America. In English, the term originally referred to the Yaghan people of Tierra del Fuego. In Spanish, the term ''fueguino'' can refer to any person fro ...

s in particular.

Species

Anderson's cujuchi ''Ctenomys andersoni'', also called Anderson's cujuchi, is a species of tuco-tuco native to Bolivia. Found only in Cerro Itahuaticua, Department of Santa Cruz, at an elevation of around , the species measures in length and has coarse brown a ...

(''C. andersoni'')Gardner, S.L., J. Salazar-Bravo, and J.A. Cook. 2014
New Species of ''Ctenomys'' Blainville 1826 (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) from the Lowlands and Central Valleys of Bolivia
''Special Publications'' / Museum of Texas Tech University (June 17, 2014), number 62. :

Argentine tuco-tuco The Argentine tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys argentinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is endemic to Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the so ...

(''C. argentinus'') :

Southern tuco-tuco The southern tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys australis'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae.Woods, C. A. and Kilpatrick, C. W. (2005). "Infraorder Hystricognathi", pp. 1538–1600 in: Wilson, D. E. and D. M. Reeder''Mammal Species of the Wo ...

(''C. australis'') :

Berg's tuco-tuco Berg's tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys bergi'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae, named after the Latvian-Argentine biologist Frederico Guillermo Carlos Berg. It is endemic to northwestern Córdoba Province in central Argentina A ...

(''C. bergi'') : Bidau's tuco-tuco (''C. bidaui'') :

Bolivian tuco-tuco The Bolivian tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys boliviensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no ...

(''C. boliviensis'') :

Bonetto's tuco-tuco Bonetto's tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys bonettoi'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is endemic to Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern ...

(''C. bonettoi'') :

Brazilian tuco-tuco The Brazilian tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys brasiliensis'') is a tuco-tuco species. It is found mainly in the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil,Fernandes, F. A., R. Fornel, and T. R. O. Freitas. 2012. ''Ctenomys brasiliensis'' Blainville (Rod ...

(''C. brasiliensis'') :

Budin's tuco-tuco Budin's tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys budini'') was formerly considered a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is endemic to southeast Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link= ...

(''C. budini'') :

Colburn's tuco-tuco Colburn's tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys colburni'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is known only from Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the sout ...

(''C. colburni'') : Puntilla tuco-tuco (''C. coludo'') : Conover's tuco-tuco (''C. conoveri'') : Contreras' tuco-tuco (''C. contrerasi)'' : Coyhaique tuco-tuco (''C. coyhaiquensis'') : D'Orbigny's tuco-tuco (''C. dorbignyi'') : Chacoan tuco-tuco (''C. dorsalis'') : Emily's tuco-tuco (''C. emilianus'') : Erika’s tuco-tuco (''C. erikacuellarae'') : Famatina tuco-tuco (''C. famosus'') : Flamarion's tuco-tuco (''C. flamarioni'') : Foch's tuco-tuco (''C. fochi'') : Lago Blanco tuco-tuco (''C. fodax'') : Reddish tuco-tuco (''C. frater'') : Tawny tuco-tuco (''C. fulvus'') : Goodfellow's tuco-tuco (''C. goodfellowi'') :

Haig's tuco-tuco Haig's tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys haigi''), known regionally as the Patagonian tuco-tuco, is a hystricognath rodent. Like other tuco-tucos it is subterranean and thus not often observed, although the "tuc-tuc" call of the males can be heard near bur ...

(''C. haigi'') : San Juan tuco-tuco (''C. johannis'') :

Jujuy tuco-tuco The Jujuy tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys juris'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is known only from one location at an elevation of 500 m in southeastern Jujuy Province of northern Argentina. References

Mammals of Argentin ...

(''C. juris'') : Catamarca tuco-tuco (''C. knighti'') : Lami tuco-tuco (''C. lami'') :

Mottled tuco-tuco The mottled tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys latro'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is endemic to Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern h ...

(''C. latro'') : Lessa's tuco-tuco (''C. lessai'') : White-toothed tuco-tuco (''C. leucodon'') : Lewis's tuco-tuco (''C. lewisi'') : Magellanic tuco-tuco (''C. magellanicus'') : Maule tuco-tuco (''C. maulinus'') :

Mendoza tuco-tuco The Mendoza tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys mendocinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. Taxonomy A 2021 phylogenetic study found that Azara's tuco-tuco (''C. azarae'') and Porteous's tuco-tuco (''C. porteousi''), which were both prev ...

(''C. mendocinus'') :

Tiny tuco-tuco The tiny tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys minutus'') is a tuco-tuco species found in Brazil and Bolivia. It is squirrel like with a furry texture. References

Tuco-tucos Mammals described in 1887 {{rodent-stub ...

(''C. minutus'') : Natterer's tuco-tuco (''C. nattereri'') :

Furtive tuco-tuco The furtive tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys occultus'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is endemic to Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the souther ...

(''C. occultus'') : Highland tuco-tuco (''C. opimus'') : Reig's tuco-tuco (''C. osvaldoreigi'') :

Pearson's tuco-tuco Pearson's tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys pearsoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is endemic to Uruguay, where it is found at elevations below 200 m. This tuco-tuco constructs burrows with multiple openings (an average of 13) conta ...

(''C. pearsoni'') : Goya tuco-tuco (''C. perrensi'') : Peruvian tuco-tuco (''C. peruanus'') : Pilar tuco-tuco (''C. pilarensis'') : San Luis tuco-tuco (''C. pontifex'') : Pundt's tuco-tuco (''C. pundti'') :

Rio Negro tuco-tuco The Rio Negro tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys rionegrensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is found in a small fragmented range in Entre Ríos Province in northeastern Argentina and in the Río Negro Department of western Uruguay ...

(''C. rionegrensis'') : Roig's tuco-tuco (''C. roigi'') : Salta tuco-tuco (''C. saltarius'') : Scaglia's tuco-tuco (''C. scagliai'') : Silky tuco-tuco (''C. sericeus'') : Social tuco-tuco (''C. sociabilis'') : Steinbach's tuco-tuco (''C. steinbachi'') : Forest tuco-tuco (''C. sylvanus'') : Talas tuco-tuco (''C. talarum'') : Thales's tuco-tuco (''C. thalesi'') :

Collared tuco-tuco The collared tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys torquatus'') is a tuco-tuco species from South America. It is found in southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina where it lives underground in a burrow it digs in savannah habitats. It is a relatively comm ...

(''C. torquatus'') : Robust tuco-tuco (''C. tuconax'') : Tucuman tuco-tuco (''C. tucumanus'') : Sierra Tontal tuco-tuco (''C. tulduco'') : Strong tuco-tuco (''C. validus'') :

Vipos tuco-tuco The Vipos tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys viperinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is endemic to northern Tucumán Province in northern Argentina. The common name is a reference to the city of Vipos in the area. References

...

(''C. viperinus'') : Yates' tuco-tuco (''C. yatesi'') : Yolanda's tuco-tuco (''C. yolandae'') A fossil species '' Ctenomys viarapaensis'' is known from

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...

remains found in central

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuco-Tuco Hystricognath rodents Extant Piacenzian first appearances Taxa named by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville