The Family Pedetidae includes the springhares, small to medium-sized nocturnal rodents native to southern and eastern Africa. They are characterized by powerful hind legs adapted for jumping, long bushy tails, and short forelimbs used for digging burrows. Springhares are primarily herbivorous, feeding on roots, bulbs, and seeds, and they have keen senses of hearing and smell to detect predators. They are mostly solitary or live in small family groups, and their burrowing and foraging behaviors play an important role in soil aeration and seed dispersal within their ecosystems.