The moon-toothed degu (''Octodon lunatus'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

in the family

Octodontidae Octodontidae is a family of rodents, restricted to southwestern South America. Fourteen species of octodontid are recognised, arranged in seven genera. The best known species is the common degu, ''Octodon degus''. Octodontids are medium-sized ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, occurring in mountainous areas along the Pacific coast in the central part of the country.

Biology and physiology

Unlike its close relative the

common degu The common degu (''Octodon degus''; ), or, historically, the degu, is a small hystricomorpha rodent endemic to the Chilean matorral ecoregion of central Chile. The name ''degu'' on its own indicates either the entire genus ''Octodon'' or, more ...

, the moon-toothed degu is nocturnal (active at night). The

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

fur of this species has been found to be much less reflective of UV light than other octodontids, 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.

Habitat

The species is less widely distributed in

than the common degu and inhabits dense scrubland near the coast. Habitat ranges from sea level to 1,200 m in the Andes.

References

External links

* Octodon Mammals of Chile Mammals described in 1943 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Endemic fauna of Chile {{rodent-stub