I met one, once.  In South Africa, at Cape Point*.  

A rock dassie is a small mammal, roughly the size and shape of a rugby ball, but its closest living relative is an elephant.  Native to rocky lands in Africa and the Middle East, it is renowned for its wisdom.  Here's wikipedia with more:  Click here for more from wikipedia.

*It's the park where the Indian and Pacific Oceans should come together... because it's an easy drive from Cape Town.  Unfortunately, science does not obey our whims, and they actually come together at Cape Agulhas.