Dassie Rat: Petromuridae

Dassie rats are herbivores, plant-eating animals. They eat leaves, berries, seeds, grasses, twigs, and shrubs. They look for this food on the ground or in bushes, and take it back to their shelters. They may use grasses and leaves to build a nest in the shelter. Dassie rats can regurgitate (re-GER-jih-tate), throw up partially digested food, into their mouths where they chew it again and then swallow it. They are also coprophagous (kuh-PRAH-fuh-gus), which means that they eat their own pellets, or dung, for additional nutrients. They do not usually drink water, but get all the water they need from their food instead.