Octodonts: Octodontidae

Octodonts are similar in appearance and size to gerbils and rats. They have stocky bodies, large heads, pointed noses, and medium-sized rounded ears. Octodonts have rear legs that are slightly shorter than their front legs. They have four clawed toes on their front paws and five on their back paws.

Octodonts have a head and body length of 5 to 8.7 inches (125 to 221 millimeters) and a tail length of 1.5 to seven inches (40 to 180 millimeters). Their weight ranges from 2.8 to 10.6 ounces (80 to 300 grams). They have long, dense, silky fur that is yellow, brown, or gray on their upper bodies and white or cream on their underside. One exception is the coruro, which is almost entirely black.