Hyraceum

The rock hyrax defecates in the same location over generations, which may be sheltered in caves. These locations form middens that are composed of hyraceum and hyrax pellets, which can be petrified and preserved for over 50,000 years. These middens form a record of past climate and vegetation.

It is also a sought-after material that has been used in both traditional South African medicine and perfumery.

Hyraceum in perfumery

The material hardens and ages until it becomes a fairly sterile, rock-like material (also referred to as "Africa Stone") that contains compounds giving it an animalic, deeply complex fermented scent that combines the elements of musk, castoreum, civet, tobacco and agarwood. The material is harvested without disturbing the animals by digging strata of the brittle, resinous, irregular, blackish-brown stone; because animals are not harmed in its harvesting, it is often an ethical substitute for deer musk and civet, which require killing or inflicting pain on the animal.

Hyraceum accumulates extremely slowly, making it essentially a non-renewable resource. Considering that hyraceum – accumulating in the form of rock hyrax middens – is in many cases the only available source for information regarding climate and environmental change in arid regions of Africa and Arabia, its collection for commercial sale has been criticized in scientific circles as the destruction of a critical resource that could help to understand the impact of climate change in sensitive regions.