1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Octodon

OCTODON, the generic name for a small South American rodent mammal (Octodon degus) locally known as the degu. It is the type of the family Octodontidae, the members of which—collectively termed octodonts—are exclusively Central and South American. Several of them, such as Echinomys and Loncheres, are rat-like creatures with spiny or bristly fur (see Rodentia).