Common degu

species of small caviomorph rodent

The common degu is a small rodent from Chile. They live in the Chilean matorral in central Chile.[1] They are related to chinchillas and guinea pigs. The word degu comes from the indigenous language of Chile, Mapudungun, and the word dewü, meaning 'mouse' or 'rat'.[2]

A common degu at Heidelberg Zoo, Germany
At Heidelberg Zoo, Germany

References

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  1. C. Michael Hogan & World Wildlife Fund. 2013. Chilean Matorral. Ed. Mark McGinley. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC
  2. Muñoz Urrutia, Rafael, ed. (2006), Diccionario Mapuche: Mapudungun/Español, Español/Mapudungun (in Spanish) (2nd ed.), Santiago, Chile: Editorial Centro Gráfico, pp. 104, 105, 141, ISBN 978-956-8287-99-3