up to Mammals

Rodents

Small mammals with continually growing front teeth.

Bis forBeaver

Beavers are a small, brown animal related to the squirrel. They are found in America and Europe. They spend their time in and around water, and are excellent swimmers.
Beavers are best known for their ability to build dams. They cut down trees with their sharp teeth and drag the logs to where they need them, and stack them up to make a dam. They end up with their own ponds that they tend to, which protects their den. Beavers eat waterlilys.

Cis forCapybara

The capybara is the world's largest living rodent, with a stocky body, short brown fur, and webbed feet that help it move through water. It lives in South America, especially near rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Capybaras are good swimmers and often spend time in the water to stay cool and safe. They graze on grasses and plants and usually live in small groups.
A chinchilla is a small rodent with soft, dense fur, large ears, and a thick tail. It lives high in the Andes Mountains in South America, where the weather is cool and dry. Chinchillas are most active at night.

Cis forChipmunk

A chipmunk is a small rodent that is very similar to the squirrel. They will eat nuts, berries, frogs and even baby mice.

Dis forDegu

A degu is a small, brown rodent with a grayish belly, a pointed snout, and a bushy tail with a tuft at the end. It lives in rocky, dry areas of western South America. Degus are active during the day.

Dis forDormouse

The dormouse is a type of small mouse. It lives in wooded areas and hedgerows, where it makes nests in trees or thick bushes. At night it becomes active, eating mostly nuts and berries and gathering food to store for colder months. Dormice are known for sleeping for long periods when the weather is bad.
Flying squirrels are a variety of squirrel that has a flap of skin joining its front and back legs. Flying squirrels can spread out this flap like a parachute to glide between trees.

Gis forGopher

Gopher is the common name for both true gophers and some types of ground squirrels. Gophers are a type of rodent that spends most of its time digging burrows. Gophers are a pest where underground crops like turnips or carrots are planted.
Guinea pigs, also called the cavy, are a small rodent originally from South America. They were first domesticated as a food source, but today guinea pigs are kept as pets. They have a quiet nature and don't mind being handled.

His forHamster

Hamsters are a small rodent that is often kept as a pet. Hamsters are originally from Syria. They have a large fur-lined pouch on either side of their face that goes all the way to their shoulders that they can fill with food. In the wild, they usually eat seeds and nuts.

Lis forLemming

Lemmings are small rodents closely related to voles. They eat mainly leaves new shoots and grasses. Lemmings will sometimes migrate in large numbers, not stopping even if a cliff gets in the way, which has lead to many myths about their behaviour.

Mis forMarmot

A marmot is a large rodent that lives in rocky mountain areas, alpine meadows, and open grasslands. Marmots will dig burrows into the ground. They spend their days foraging for grasses and other plants, and many hibernate for long stretches during cold winter months. They're known for sitting upright and watching for danger.

Mis forMouse

Mice are very small animals that are often found in houses. They are a pest, and eat stored food. Cats, snakes and many other animals eat mice. Some people keep mice as pets. The plural of mouse is mice.

Mis forMuskrat

Muskrat is a medium-sized rodent with a thick, brown coat and a flat, rounded tail that helps it swim. It lives in and around fresh water like rivers, ponds, and marshes, building houses from plants near the water. Muskrats are strong swimmers and use their webbed back feet to move through the water, where they feed mainly on plants and also some small animals.
Porcupines are a large rodent related to the beaver. They are spiny like hedgehogs and echidnas but are not related to either of them.
Porcupines come in many shapes and sizes, but all have sharp quills. Porcupines can lose their quills, so if something bites a porcupine they get a mouthful of spikes.
Prairie dogs are ground-dwelling rodents. They often live in large groups, and they make complex burrow homes on the grasslands of North America. Prairie dogs spend a lot of time grazing and digging, and they stand up to watch for danger and warn the group with sharp calls.

Ris forRat

Rats are like large mice. They often live near people, scavenging food scraps in rubbish tips or stored food in houses. Rats are pests and most people try and get rid of rats if they can.
Rats can also kept as pets. Pet rats tend to be white or multicoloured, and wild rats tend to be plain brown or grey.

Sis forSquirrel

A squirrel is a medium-sized rodent found in the Americas, Asia and Europe. Squirrels eat nuts, seeds, pine cones, fruit, fungi and young leaves.

Vis forVole

A vole is similar to a mouse or small rat. Voles have shorter legs and tails.