Coruro (Spalacopus cyanus) lives in temperate grasslands across South America. It feeds on underground plant roots. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Coruro
- The coruro is the only species placed in the genus Spalacopus, giving it a singular position within the Octodontidae family. It is endemic to central Chile and occupies a surprisingly wide range of environments, from coastal zones to high-altitude montane areas. This distribution shows the animal's ability to thrive in diverse habitats while remaining confined to a relatively narrow geographic belt.
- Coruros live in colonies where many individuals share a single burrow system, but they are unusual among rodents because they are nomadic. When the vegetation around a burrow becomes depleted, the whole group abandons the site and moves together to a new locality, digging fresh tunnels as a cohesive unit.
- Before abandoning a burrow, coruros deliberately leave underground bulbs behind, enabling the plants to regrow and providing a future food source if the colony returns. Their diet consists entirely of underground plant parts, including grasses, herbs, roots and the bulbs of geophytes such as Leucocoryne ixioides, which makes up the bulk of what they eat.
- The coruro's incisors are unusually large and curve forward, functioning like tiny shovels that loosen soil and gnaw through roots. These forward-curving teeth work together with strong forelimbs that dig and powerful hind limbs that push soil out of the burrow entrance. This specialised dentition and musculature enable the animal to excavate extensive underground tunnels and feed entirely below ground.
- A coruro's pregnancy lasts about 77 days before the litter is born. Females can produce up to six offspring in a single breeding season, and the newborns open their eyes after roughly four days. Adults weigh between 82 and 118 grams, a size that suits their underground existence. The relatively long gestation and modest litter size reflect the species' adaptation to a stable colonial life.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSouth America
HabitatTemperate grasslands
DietUnderground plant roots
About the Coruro
In the sun-baked scrublands of South America, the coruro burrows through the earth with stealthy purpose, its long, claw-tipped fingers excavating complex networks of tunnels and dens with ease. As it moves through this subterranean world, its large, dark eyes seem to gleam with a quiet intelligence, its whiskers twitching with every subtle vibration in the soil. With its remarkable ability to navigate and manipulate its underground realm, the coruro is a master of its hidden domain, a secretive and fascinating creature that remains largely unseen by the world above.
Hear the Coruro, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
