What animals are rodents?

  Rodents are all mammals that belong to the Order Rodentia, which has more than 2,000 different species of rodents and accounts for about 43 percent of all mammals worldwide. The largest rodent in the world is the capybara of South Africa. It’s about the size of a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, with an average weight of about 110 pounds (50 kg). The smallest rodent is the pygmy jerboa, which weighs less than 1/5 ounce (5 g). Clearly, there are many species of rodents that we never interact with because they don’t live in our region, they don’t interact with people or they are found in specific, isolated environments. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TEETH.  Looking at the bigger picture, what do all the rodents in the order Rodentia have in common? They’re all mammals with bodies covered with hair (not feathers or scales), they have tails, they give birth to living young (no eggs) and nurse those young. However, the main thing rodents have in common is the specialized structure of their teet...

  One of the most widespread groups of mammals, rodents can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They are the only terrestrial placental mammals to have colonized Australia and   New Guinea   without human intervention. Humans have also allowed the animals to spread to many remote oceanic islands (e.g., the   Polynesian rat ). [3]   Rodents have adapted to almost every terrestrial habitat, from cold   tundra   (where they can live under snow) to hot deserts. Some species such as  tree squirrels  and  New World porcupines  are  arboreal , while some, such as  gophers ,  tuco-tucos , and mole rats, live almost completely underground, where they build complex burrow systems. Others dwell on the surface of the ground, but may have a burrow into which they can retreat. Beavers and  muskrats  are known for being semiaquatic, [1]  but the rodent best-adapted for aquatic life is probably the  ea...