Gundis | Ctenodactylidae

Kamvingers | Ctenodactílidos

Small stocky rodents of bare rocky desert, with a flattened body and short legs with which they push deep into narrow clefts; the ears are small and lie flat against the head, so that nothing is left to catch or tear. On the two inner toes of each hind foot stands a row of stiff horny bristles — the comb that gives the family its name — with which the animal combs the fine sand out of its silky coat; left in, that sand destroys the fur's insulating power. They do not drink: all their water comes from leaves, seeds and buds gathered in the early morning and late afternoon, and the kidneys hold on to the rest. The morning is spent basking flat on a stone. Alarm is passed on with a high whistle and the colony vanishes at once. The litter is small and the young are born furred and open-eyed.