| Common degu | |
|---|---|
| |
| At Heidelberg Zoo, Germany | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Octodontidae |
| Genus: | Octodon |
| Species: | O. degus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Octodon degus (Molina, 1782)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sciurus degus Molina, 1782 | |
The common degu (Octodon degus; /ˈdeɪɡuː/), or, historically, the degu, is a small hystricomorpha rodent endemic to the Chilean matorral ecoregion of central Chile.[2] The name degu on its own indicates either the entire genus Octodon or, more commonly, just the common degu. Common degus belong to the parvorder Caviomorpha of the infraorder Hystricognathi, along with the chinchilla and guinea pig. The word degu comes from the indigenous language of Chile, Mapudungun, and the word dewü, meaning 'mouse' or 'rat'.[3]
The animal may be kept as a domestic pet, though there are prohibitions on their ownership in some territories. As a pet, the animal is larger than a golden hamster but smaller than a fancy rat.
- ^ Roach, N. (2016). "Octodon degus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T15088A78321302. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T15088A78321302.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ C. Michael Hogan & World Wildlife Fund. 2013. Chilean Matorral. Ed. Mark McGinley. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC
- ^ 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