101 Facts About...

#1) "Rodent" is derived from the Latin word "rodere," which means "to gnaw."

#2) A female can produce up to 12 litters of 20 rats per year.

#3) Mice do not have bladders and will relieve themselves anywhere.

#4) Rodents have to chew in order to keep their teeth trimmed.

#5) One of the world's smallest mammals is a rodent which measures around 5 centimeters in
length. (The Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboa).

#6) Guinea Pigs are good swimmers.

#7) Guinea Pigs are born with fur and both eyes open.

#8) Some South American cultures use Guinea Pigs as evil spirit collectors for healing rituals.

#9) Guinea Pigs have 13 distinct sounds to communicate with each other.

#10) Guinea Pigs are able to run when they are just 3 hours old.

#11) A Guinea Pig's lifespan is 5-8 years.

#12) Guinea Pigs are not agile.

#13) Guinea Pigs have a tail vertebrae, but don't actually have a tail.

#14) The Capybara is the largest of the living rodents. (About 4 feet in length).

#15) In the language of the Guarani Indians, "Capybara" means “master of the grasses.”

#16) Capybara are good swimmers and divers.

#17) The Capybara's lifespan is about 10 years.

#18) Capybaras are prone to being sunburned.

#19) Capybaras have webbed feet.

#20) Baby agoutis can run around and nibble plants when they are just 1 hour old.

#21) During mating season, a male agouti sprays a female with urine.

#22) Lowland Pacas have 4 longitudinal rows of white spots on their sides.

#23) Pacas have 4 digits on their forefeet and 5 on their hind feet.

#24) The Lowland Paca lives for approximately 16 years.

#25) Gophers are known for building complex underground tunnel systems.

#26) Gophers like to be alone and only 1 gopher will be found in a tunnel system.

#27) A gopher's lifespan is around 1-3 years.

#28) Gophers usually have 3-4 offspring per litter 1-2 times a year.

#29) A gopher eats 60% of its bodyweight per day.

#30) A single gopher can create a tunnel system of up to 200 yards in 1 year.

#31) Pocket gophers do not hibernate and are active throughout the year.

#32) A gopher's teeth continuously grow and can grow up to 14 inches per year.

#33) The term "gopher" means "tortoise."

#34) Gophers rarely come above ground.

#35) Gopher babies are born with their eyes, ears, and cheek pockets closed.

#36) Chinchilla fur ranges from bluish grey to white, silver, beige, or black.

#37) Chinchillas were named after South American Indian Chincha people. Their name means "Little
Chincha."

#38) Chinchillas are not able to sweat.

#39) Chinchillas do not bathe in water because their dense fur prevents air-drying.

#40) Chinchillas were nearly driven to extinction for their soft fur.

#41) If grabbed by a predator, chinchillas have the ability to lose a large patch of fur, leaving their
attacker with a clump of fur.

#42) Chinchillas can jump over six feet in height.

#43) Chinchillas can sleep upside down, upright, or on their sides.

#44) Chinchillas digest their food twice in a process known as caecotrophy.

#45) The lifespan of a gerbil is 2-3 years.

#46) The common pet gerbil originated in Mongolia.

#47) The principal movement of gerbil is hopping, rather than running.

#48) Gerbils are more comfortable in large groups.

#49) Gerbils mate for several hours in frequent, short bursts.

#50) The babies of gerbils are hairless, blind and deaf.

#51) Gerbils often sleep on top of each other and can unconsciously groom each other in their half-sleep.

#52) Gerbils have small limbs, making them bad swimmers.

#53) The word hamster comes from the Old German word “hamstern,” which means “hoard.”

#54) A Syrian hamsters heart can beat over 300 beats per minute.

#55) Hamsters can remember their relatives.

#56) Certain dwarf species of hamsters can delay the birth of their unborn litter if they are already
nursing a litter.

#57) Hamsters can carry half their body weight in their cheek pouches.

#58) Male hamsters tend to live longer than females.

#59) Hamsters can bite and even kill each other if they have to share a space.

#60) Hamsters rely on scent to find their way around.

#61) Hamsters are color blind.

#62) The eyesight of hamsters reaches only up to six inches in front of them.

#63) The word "squirrel" means "shadow tail" in Greek.

#64) Squirrels can run up to 20 miles per hour.

#65) A squirrel can survive even if it jumps from a height of 100 feet.

#66) Flying squirrels don't actually fly, they merely glide.

#67) Squirrels mate after they are 1 year old.

#68) The male squirrels are rather bad parents, as they play no role in raising the young ones.

#69) Squirrels cannot differentiate between the colors green and red.

#70) Male squirrels are the cleanest in the rodent family.

#71) A squirrel's brain is about the size of a walnut.

#72) Female beavers are larger than male beavers of the same age.

#73) Beavers slap their tails on the water surface as an alarm to alert the colony when they sense
danger.

#74) Beavers can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes.

#75) Beavers cut trees with their sharp teeth.

#76) Lodges are the homes of beavers and the beavers make them from sticks and mud.

#77) The entrance to the lodge is underwater, further protecting the beaver

#78) Though its mouth is very small, a chipmunk's cheeks can expand to three times its head size.

#79) Chipmunks take an average of 75 breaths in a minute.

#80) Least Chipmunks produce a distinct 'wop-wop' or 'chip-chip' voice.

#81) A chipmunks lifespan is about 2-3 years.

#82) Although chipmunks hibernate, they do not store fat.

#83) In North America, marmots are called groundhogs or woodchucks.

#84) At present, there are only about 100 marmots living in the world.

#85) The main predators of the Vancouver Island marmots are golden eagles, cougars, and wolves.

#86) Yellow-bellied marmots are only found west of the Great Plains.

#87) Porcupines are Africa's biggest rodents.

#88) Porcupines are also known as "quill pigs."

#89) Each porcupine has more than 30,000 needle-like quills on their back.

#90) Porcupines prefer gnawing on food items that are rich in sodium.

#91) A newborn porcupine's quills are soft on birth and they harden after about 30 minutes.

#92) In North America, voles are known as field mice or meadow mice.

#93) Voles can swim and dive.

#94) Spring hares look like kangaroos, but are no way related.

#95) A spring hare does not drink water; instead it obtains moisture from dew and rain.

#96) Spring hares can jump a distance of 30 feet.

#97) Lemmings are the smallest animals in the Tundra.

#98) The short legs, feet, tail, and ears of the lemming help them to keep the heat in.

#99) Baby lemmings are born under the snow.

#100) Lemming's feet grow bigger during the winter and get smaller during the summer.

#101) The word "lemming" or "Lemmus" comes from a Norwegian word that means "destroying."