![Alaskan Hare Skeleton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Alaskan_Hare_Skeleton.jpg)
Leporidae is the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
s and
hare
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...
s, containing over 60 species of extant
mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
s in all. The Latin word ''Leporidae'' means "those that resemble ''lepus''" (hare). Together with the
pika
A pika ( or ; archaically spelled pica) is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal found in Asia and North America. With short limbs, very round body, an even coat of fur, and no external tail, they resemble their close relative, the rabbit, but wi ...
s, the Leporidae constitute the
mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
ian
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
Lagomorpha
The lagomorphs are the members of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, of which there are two living families: the Leporidae (hares and rabbits) and the Ochotonidae (pikas). The name of the order is derived from the Ancient Greek ''lagos'' (λαγ ...
. Leporidae differ from pikas in that they have short, furry tails and elongated ears and hind legs.
The
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
"rabbit" usually applies to all genera in the family except ''
Lepus
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The gen ...
'', while members of ''Lepus'' (almost half the species) usually are called hares. Like most common names, however, the distinction does not match current taxonomy completely;
jackrabbit
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The gen ...
s are members of ''Lepus'', and members of the genera ''
Pronolagus
The red rock hares are the four species in the genus ''Pronolagus''. They are African lagomorphs of the family Leporidae.
Taxonomic history
Species in this genus had previously been classified in the genus ''Lepus'', as done by J. E. Gray, or in ...
'' and ''
Caprolagus
The hispid hare (''Caprolagus hispidus''), also called Assam rabbit and bristly rabbit, is a leporid native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today, its habitat is highly fragmented with an ...
'' sometimes are called hares.
Various countries across all continents except
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
have indigenous species of Leporidae. Furthermore, rabbits, most significantly the
European rabbit
The European rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') or coney is a species of rabbit native to the Iberian Peninsula (including Spain, Portugal, and southwestern France), western France, and the northern Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa. It has ...
, ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'', also have been introduced to most of
Oceania
Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...
and to many other islands, where they pose serious ecological and commercial threats.
Characteristics
Leporids are small to moderately sized mammals, adapted for rapid movement. They have long hind legs, with four toes on each foot, and shorter fore legs, with five toes each. The soles of their feet are hairy, to improve grip while running, and they have strong claws on all of their toes. Leporids also have distinctive, elongated and mobile ears, and they have an excellent sense of hearing. Their eyes are large, and their night vision is good, reflecting their primarily
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
or
crepuscular
In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylig ...
mode of living.
Leporids are all roughly the same shape and fall within a small range of sizes with short tails, ranging from the 21 cm (8 in) long
Tres Marias cottontail
The Tres Marias cottontail or Tres Marias rabbit (''Sylvilagus graysoni'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to the Tres Marias Islands, part of the Mexican state of Nayarit. The rabbit is a ...
to the 76 cm (30 in) long
desert hare
The desert hare (''Lepus tibetanus'') is a species of hare found in Central Asia, Northwest China, and the western Indian subcontinent. Little is known about this species except that it inhabits grassland and scrub areas of desert and semi-desert ...
. Female leporids are almost always larger than males, which is unusual among terrestrial mammals, in which males are usually the larger sex.
Both rabbits and hares are almost exclusively
herbivorous
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...
(although some ''Lepus'' species are known to eat carrion), feeding primarily on
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
es and herbs, although they also eat leaves, fruit, and seeds of various kinds. They are
coprophagous
Coprophagia () or coprophagy () is the consumption of feces. The word is derived from the grc, κόπρος , "feces" and , "to eat". Coprophagy refers to many kinds of feces-eating, including eating feces of other species (heterospecifics), of ...
, as they pass food through their digestive systems twice, first expelling it as soft green
feces
Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...
, called
cecotrope
Cecotropes, also called caecotrophs, caecal pellets, or night fecs, are the product of the cecum, a part of the digestive system in mammals of the order Lagomorpha, which includes two families: Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pika ...
s, which they then reingest, eventually producing hard, dark fecal pellets. Like
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
s, they have powerful front
incisor
Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, whe ...
teeth, but they also have a smaller second pair of incisors to either side of the main teeth in the upper jaw, and the structure is different from that of rodent incisors. Also like rodents, leporids lack any
canine teeth, but they do have more cheek teeth than rodents do. Their jaws also contain a large
diastema
A diastema (plural diastemata, from Greek διάστημα, space) is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars. More colloquially, the condition ...
. The
dental formula
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolo ...
of most, though not all, leporids is:
They have adapted to a remarkable range of habitats, from
desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
to
tundra
In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...
,
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s,
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
s, and
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
land. Rabbits generally dig permanent
burrow
An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...
s for shelter, the exact form of which varies between species. In contrast, hares rarely dig shelters of any kind, and their bodies are more suited to fast running than to burrowing.
[
The ]gestation
Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregna ...
period in leporids varies from around 28 to 50 days, and is generally longer in the hares. This is in part because young hares, or leverets, are born fully developed, with fur and open eyes, while rabbit kits are naked and blind at birth, having the security of the burrow to protect them.[ Leporids can have several litters a year, which can cause their population to expand dramatically in a short time when resources are plentiful.
]
Reproduction
Leporids are typically polygynandrous
Polygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season. In sexually reproducing diploid animals, different mating strategies are employed by males and females, because the cost of ga ...
, and have highly developed social systems. Their social hierarchies determine which males mate when the females go into estrus
The estrous cycle (, originally ) is the set of recurring physiological changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian therian females. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous p ...
, which happens throughout the year. Gestation
Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregna ...
periods are variable, but in general, higher latitudes correspond to shorter gestation periods. Moreover, the gestation time and litter size correspond to predation rates as well. Species nesting below ground tend to have lower predation rates and have larger litters.
Evolution
The oldest known leporid species date from the late Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
, by which time the family was already present in both North America and Asia. Over the course of their evolution, this group has become increasingly adapted to lives of fast running and leaping. For example, ''Palaeolagus
''Palaeolagus'' ('ancient hare') is an extinct genus of lagomorpha, lagomorph. ''Palaeolagus'' lived in the Eocene and Oligocene epochs of North America,
Taxonomy
The fossil remains of rabbits are scanty and those specimens that have been found ...
'', an extinct rabbit from the Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
of North America, had shorter hind legs than modern forms (indicating it ran rather than hopped) though it was in most other respects quite rabbit-like. Two as yet unnamed fossil finds—dated ~48 Ma (from China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
) and ~53 Ma (India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
)—while primitive, display the characteristic leporid ankle, thus pushing the divergence of Ochotonidae and Leporidae yet further into the past.
The cladogram
A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...
is from Matthee et al., 2004, based on nuclear and mitochondrial gene analysis.
Classification
Family Leporidae:[ ]rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
s and hare
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...
s
* Genus ''Pentalagus
The Amami rabbit (''Pentalagus furnessi''; ), or , also known as the Ryukyu rabbit is a dark-furred rabbit which is only found in Amami Ōshima and Toku-no-Shima, two small islands between southern Kyūshū and Okinawa in Kagoshima Prefecture ...
''
** Amami rabbit
The Amami rabbit (''Pentalagus furnessi''; ), or , also known as the Ryukyu rabbit is a dark-furred rabbit which is only found in Amami Ōshima and Toku-no-Shima, two small islands between southern Kyūshū and Okinawa in Kagoshima Prefecture ...
, ''Pentalagus furnessi''
* Genus ''Bunolagus
The riverine rabbit (''Bunolagus monticularis''), also known as the bushman rabbit or bushman hare, is a rabbit with an extremely limited distribution area, found only in the central and southern regions of the Karoo Desert of South Africa's No ...
''
** Riverine rabbit
The riverine rabbit (''Bunolagus monticularis''), also known as the bushman rabbit or bushman hare, is a rabbit with an extremely limited distribution area, found only in the central and southern regions of the Karoo Desert of South Africa's No ...
, ''Bunolagus monticularis''
* Genus ''Nesolagus
''Nesolagus'' is a genus of rabbits containing three species of striped rabbit: the Annamite striped rabbit, the Sumatran striped rabbit, and the extinct species ''N. sinensis''. Overall there is very little known about the genus as a whole, mo ...
''
** Sumatran striped rabbit
The Sumatran striped rabbit (''Nesolagus netscheri''), also known as the Sumatra short-eared rabbit or Sumatran rabbit, is a rabbit found only in forests in the Barisan Mountains in western Sumatra, Indonesia, and surrounding areas. It is threaten ...
, ''Nesolagus netscheri''
** Annamite striped rabbit
The Annamite striped rabbit (''Nesolagus timminsi'') is a species of rabbit native to the Annamite mountain range on the Laos-Vietnam border. The rabbit is striped, with a red rump, and resembles the Sumatran striped rabbit. It only recently beca ...
, ''Nesolagus timminsi''
* Genus ''Romerolagus
The volcano rabbit (''Romerolagus diazi''), also known as teporingo or zacatuche, is a small rabbit that resides in the mountains of Mexico.Hoth, J., A. Velázquez F. Romero, L. León, M. Aranda and D. Bell, 1987. The Volcano Rabbit- a Shrinking ...
''
** Volcano rabbit
The volcano rabbit (''Romerolagus diazi''), also known as teporingo or zacatuche, is a small rabbit that resides in the mountains of Mexico.Hoth, J., A. Velázquez F. Romero, L. León, M. Aranda and D. Bell, 1987. The Volcano Rabbit- a Shrinking ...
, ''Romerolagus diazi''
* Genus '' Brachylagus''
** Pygmy rabbit
The pygmy rabbit (''Brachylagus idahoensis'') is a rabbit species native to the United States. It is also the only native rabbit species in North America to dig its own burrow. The pygmy rabbit differs significantly from species within either the ...
, ''Brachylagus idahoensis''
* Genus ''Sylvilagus
Cottontail rabbits are the leporid species in the genus ''Sylvilagus'', found in the Americas. Most ''Sylvilagus'' species have stub tails with white undersides that show when they retreat, giving them their characteristic name. However, this ...
''
** Subgenus ''Tapeti
The common tapeti (''Sylvilagus brasiliensis''), also known as the Brazilian cottontail, forest cottontail, or (formerly) simply tapeti is a species of cottontail rabbit. It is small to medium-sized with a small, dark tail, short hind feet, and s ...
''
*** Swamp rabbit
The swamp rabbit (''Sylvilagus aquaticus''), also called the cane-cutter, is a large cottontail rabbit found in the swamps and wetlands of the southern United States. The species has a strong preference for wet areas, and it will take to the wate ...
, ''Sylvilagus aquaticus''
*** Andean tapetí, ''Sylvilagus andinus''
*** Bogota tapetí, ''Sylvilagus apollinaris''
*** Ecuadorian tapetí, ''Sylvilagus daulensis''
*** Common tapetí, ''Sylvilagus brasiliensis''
*** Fulvous tapetí, ''Sylvilagus fulvescens''
*** Dice's cottontail
Dice's cottontail (''Sylvilagus dicei'') is a species of cottontail rabbit in the family Leporidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama, in páramo and cloud forest habitats.
Taxonomy
Dice's cottontail was first described by William P. Harris, ...
, ''Sylvilagus dicei''
*** Central American tapetí, ''Sylvilagus gabbi''
*** Northern tapetí, ''Sylvilagus incitatus''
*** Omilteme cottontail
The Omilteme cottontail (''Sylvilagus insonus'') is a cottontail rabbit found only in the state of Guerrero, Mexico in the mountain range of Sierra Madre del Sur. Belonging to the family Leporidae, it is one of fourteen species in the genus ''Sy ...
, ''Sylvilagus insonus''
*** Nicefor's tapetí, ''Sylvilagus nicefori''
***Marsh rabbit
The marsh rabbit (''Sylvilagus palustris'') is a small cottontail rabbit found in marshes and swamps of coastal regions of the Eastern and Southern United States. It is a strong swimmer and found only near regions of water. It is similar in app ...
, ''Sylvilagus palustris''
*** Suriname tapetí, ''Sylvilagus parentum''
***Colombian tapetí
Colombian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Colombia
* Colombians, persons from Colombia, or of Colombian descent
**For more information about the Colombian people, see:
*** Demographics of Colombia
*** Indigenous ...
, ''Sylvilagus salentus''
*** Santa Marta tapetí, ''Sylvilagus sanctaemartae''
*** Western tapetí, ''Sylvilagus surdaster''
*** Coastal tapetí, ''Sylvilagus tapetillus''
***Venezuelan lowland rabbit
The Venezuelan lowland rabbit (''Sylvilagus varynaensis''), also known as the Barinas wild rabbit, is a cottontail rabbit species found in western Venezuela. Diet
Its diet consists in large measure of plants of the genus '' Sida''. Habitat
It ...
, ''Sylvilagus varynaensis''
** Subgenus ''Sylvilagus
Cottontail rabbits are the leporid species in the genus ''Sylvilagus'', found in the Americas. Most ''Sylvilagus'' species have stub tails with white undersides that show when they retreat, giving them their characteristic name. However, this ...
''
*** Desert cottontail
The desert cottontail (''Sylvilagus audubonii''), also known as Audubon's cottontail, is a New World cottontail rabbit, and a member of the family Leporidae. Unlike the European rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus''), they do not form social burrow s ...
, ''Sylvilagus audubonii''
*** Mexican cottontail
The Mexican cottontail (''Sylvilagus cunicularius'') is a species of cottontail rabbit in the family Leporidae. It is endemic to Mexico where its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry forests and pastureland.
Taxono ...
, ''Sylvilagus cunicularis''
*** Eastern cottontail
The eastern cottontail (''Sylvilagus floridanus'') is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is the most common rabbit species in North America.
Distribution
The eastern cottontail can be found in meadows and shrubby ...
, ''Sylvilagus floridanus''
*** Tres Marias cottontail
The Tres Marias cottontail or Tres Marias rabbit (''Sylvilagus graysoni'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to the Tres Marias Islands, part of the Mexican state of Nayarit. The rabbit is a ...
, ''Sylvilagus graysoni''
***Robust cottontail
The robust cottontail or Holzner's cottontail (''Sylvilagus holzneri'') is a species of cottontail rabbit native to high-altitude regions of the southwestern United States and western Mexico.
Taxonomy
This species and the subspecies comprising i ...
, ''Sylvilagus holzneri''
*** Mountain cottontail
The mountain cottontail or Nuttall's cottontail (''Sylvilagus nuttallii'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is found in Canada and the United States.
Description
The mountain cottontail is a small rabbit but its size is rel ...
, ''Sylvilagus nuttallii''
*** Appalachian cottontail
The Appalachian cottontail (''Sylvilagus obscurus'') is a species of cottontail rabbit in the family Leporidae. It is a rare species found in the upland areas of the eastern United States.
Taxonomy
The species was only recognized as separate f ...
, ''Sylvilagus obscurus''
*** New England cottontail
The New England cottontail (''Sylvilagus transitionalis''), also called the gray rabbit, brush rabbit, wood hare, wood rabbit, or cooney, is a species of cottontail rabbit represented by fragmented populations in areas of New England, specificall ...
, ''Sylvilagus transitionalis''
** Subgenus ''Microlagus''
*** Brush rabbit
The brush rabbit (''Sylvilagus bachmani''), or western brush rabbit, or Californian brush rabbit, is a species of cottontail rabbit found in western coastal regions of North America, from the Columbia River in Oregon to the southern tip of the ...
, ''Sylvilagus bachmani''
* Genus ''Oryctolagus
''Oryctolagus'' is a genus of lagomorph that today contains the European rabbit and its descendant, the domestic rabbit, as well as several fossil species.
The generic name derives from Ancient Greek ὀρυκτός (''oryktos'', “dug up”) ...
''
** European rabbit
The European rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') or coney is a species of rabbit native to the Iberian Peninsula (including Spain, Portugal, and southwestern France), western France, and the northern Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa. It has ...
, ''Oryctolagus cuniculus''
* Genus ''Poelagus
The Bunyoro rabbit or Central African rabbit (''Poelagus marjorita'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Poelagus''.ITIS: Poelagus', listing only one species. Accessed 2012-10-26. It is found in c ...
''
** Bunyoro rabbit
The Bunyoro rabbit or Central African rabbit (''Poelagus marjorita'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Poelagus''.ITIS: Poelagus', listing only one species. Accessed 2012-10-26. It is found in ce ...
, ''Poelagus marjorita''
* Genus ''Pronolagus
The red rock hares are the four species in the genus ''Pronolagus''. They are African lagomorphs of the family Leporidae.
Taxonomic history
Species in this genus had previously been classified in the genus ''Lepus'', as done by J. E. Gray, or in ...
''
** Natal red rock hare
The Natal red rock hare or greater red rock hare (''Pronolagus crassicaudatus'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae (rabbits and hares). It has a slightly grizzled, grayish brown head and reddish brown upperparts. The dense fur ...
, ''Pronolagus crassicaudatus''
** Jameson's red rock hare
Jameson's red rock hare (''Pronolagus randensis'') is a leporid found only on the continent of Africa, mostly in the southern portion of the continent. Zimbabwe and Namibia are thought to have the largest populations of the red rock hare and it i ...
, ''Pronolagus randensis''
** Smith's red rock hare
Smith's red rockhare, Smith's red rock hare or Smith's red rock rabbit (''Pronolagus rupestris'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae (rabbits and hares), and is the smallest member of the genus ''Pronolagus''. The upperparts and gular ...
, ''Pronolagus rupestris''
** Hewitt's red rock hare
The Hewitt's red rock hare (''Pronolagus saundersiae'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It had previously been classified as a subspecies of ''Pronolagus rupestris'', but is now regarded as its own species due to differences in m ...
, ''Pronolagus saundersiae''
* Genus ''Caprolagus
The hispid hare (''Caprolagus hispidus''), also called Assam rabbit and bristly rabbit, is a leporid native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today, its habitat is highly fragmented with an ...
''
** Hispid hare
The hispid hare (''Caprolagus hispidus''), also called Assam rabbit and bristly rabbit, is a leporid native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today, its habitat is highly fragmented with an ...
, ''Caprolagus hispidus''
* Genus ''Lepus
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The gen ...
''
** Subgenus ''Macrotolagus''
*** Antelope jackrabbit
The antelope jackrabbit (''Lepus alleni'') is a species of North American hare found in southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico that occupies dry desert areas.
Behaviour
It is most active during twilight ( crepuscular) and during the night ( no ...
, ''Lepus alleni''
** Subgenus ''Poecilolagus''
*** Snowshoe hare
The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sink ...
, ''Lepus americanus''
** Subgenus ''Lepus''
*** Arctic hare
The Arctic hare (''Lepus arcticus'') is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20% of its body, and ...
, ''Lepus arcticus''
*** Alaskan hare
The Alaskan hare (''Lepus othus''), also known as the tundra hare, is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. They do not dig burrows and are found in the open tundra of western Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula in the United States. They are ...
, ''Lepus othus''
*** Mountain hare
The mountain hare (''Lepus timidus''), also known as blue hare, tundra hare, variable hare, white hare, snow hare, alpine hare, and Irish hare, is a Palearctic hare that is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats.
Evolution
The mountai ...
, ''Lepus timidus''
** Subgenus ''Proeulagus''
*** Black jackrabbit
The black jackrabbit (''Lepus insularis'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. Endemic to Mexico, its only known location is Espiritu Santo Island in the Gulf of California. The IUCN has listed this species as a "vulnerable species" ...
, ''Lepus insularis''
*** Desert hare
The desert hare (''Lepus tibetanus'') is a species of hare found in Central Asia, Northwest China, and the western Indian subcontinent. Little is known about this species except that it inhabits grassland and scrub areas of desert and semi-desert ...
, ''Lepus tibetanus''
*** Tolai hare
The tolai hare (''Lepus tolai'') is a species of hare native to Central Asia, Mongolia, and Northern and Central China. It inhabits semi-desert, steppes, rocky habitats, and forest meadows. It is relatively common, even in areas with heavy hu ...
, ''Lepus tolai''
** Subgenus ''Eulagos''
*** Broom hare
The broom hare (''Lepus castroviejoi'') is a species of hare endemic (ecology), endemic to northern Spain. Distribution and habitat
It is restricted to the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain between the Serra dos Ancares and the Sierra de P ...
, ''Lepus castroviejoi''
*** Yunnan hare
The Yunnan hare (''Lepus comus'') is a medium-sized species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It has soft, flat, and long dorsal Fur, pelage which is grayish brown or dark gray in color, and whitish ventral pelage. It was considered endemic to ...
, ''Lepus comus''
*** Korean hare
The Korean hare (''Lepus coreanus'') is a species of hare native to the Korean Peninsula and adjoining parts of northeastern China. The Korean hare inhabits diverse habitats within its range, from remote mountain forests to cultivated land. Fur ...
, ''Lepus coreanus''
*** European hare
The European hare (''Lepus europaeus''), also known as the brown hare, is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, open country. Hares are herbivorous and feed mainly ...
, ''Lepus europaeus''
*** Manchurian hare, ''Lepus mandshuricus''
*** Ethiopian highland hare
The Ethiopian highland hare (''Lepus starcki'') or Starck's hare is a medium-sized species of mammal in the rabbit and hare family, Leporidae. Its dorsal pelage is grizzled, buff white and spotted and streaked with black, while its belly fur is ...
, ''Lepus starcki''
** Subgenus ''Sabanalagus''
*** Ethiopian hare
The Ethiopian hare (''Lepus fagani'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It was first described in 1903, by the British mammalogist Oldfield Thomas. The dorsal pelage is brownish buff, and is finely grizzled with black. The ventral ...
, ''Lepus fagani''
*** African savanna hare, ''Lepus victoriae''
** Subgenus ''Indolagus''
*** Hainan hare
The Hainan hare (''Lepus hainanus'') is a hare endemic to Hainan Island, China. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1870.
Description
The Hainan hare is small; its body length is less than and weighs only . Its head is small ...
, ''Lepus hainanus''
*** Indian hare
The Indian hare (''Lepus nigricollis''), also known as the black-naped hare, is a common species of hare native to the Indian subcontinent, and Java.
Introductions
It has been introduced to Madagascar, Comoro Islands, Andaman Islands, Irian Jay ...
, ''Lepus nigricollis''
*** Burmese hare
The Burmese hare (''Lepus peguensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognised; ''L. p. peguensis'', ''L. p. siamensis'' and ''L. ...
, ''Lepus peguensis''
** Subgenus ''Sinolagus''
***Chinese hare
The Chinese hare (''Lepus sinensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is found in China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Taxonomy
The Chinese hare was first described by John Edward Gray in 1832. The Korean hare (''Lepus coreanus'') was ...
, ''Lepus sinensis''
** Subgenus ''Tarimolagus''
*** Yarkand hare
The Yarkand hare (''Lepus yarkandensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It has soft, straight, sandy brown dorsal Fur, pelage which has grayish-black stripes, and completely white ventral pelage. Endemic to China, the Yarkand h ...
, ''Lepus yarkandensis''
** ''Incertae sedis
' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...
''
*** Tamaulipas jackrabbit
The Tamaulipas jackrabbit (''Lepus altamirae''), also known as the Tamaulipas white-sided jackrabbit, is a species of hare Endemism, endemic to the Gulf Coast of Mexico, Gulf Coast of Mexico.
Taxonomy and evolution
It was formerly thought to b ...
, ''Lepus altamirae''
*** Japanese hare
The Japanese hare (''Lepus brachyurus'') is a species of hare endemic to Japan. In Japanese, it is called the ''Nousagi'' (Japanese: 野兎), meaning "field rabbit".
Taxonomy
Coenraad Jacob Temminck described the Japanese hare in 1845. The specif ...
, ''Lepus brachyurus''
***Black-tailed jackrabbit
The black-tailed jackrabbit (''Lepus californicus''), also known as the American desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico, where it is found at elevations from sea level up to . Reaching a length around , and a ...
, ''Lepus californicus''
*** White-sided jackrabbit
The white-sided jackrabbit (''Lepus callotis''), also known as the Mexican hare, is a jackrabbit found in a limited range in North America, from southern New Mexico to northwestern and central Mexico. The animal is considered threatened in New M ...
, ''Lepus callotis''
*** Cape hare
The Cape hare (''Lepus capensis''), also called the brown hare and the desert hare, is a hare native to Africa and Arabia extending into India.
Taxonomy
The Cape hare was one of the many mammal species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in ...
, ''Lepus capensis''
*** Corsican hare
The Corsican hare (''Lepus corsicanus''), also known as the Apennine hare or Italian hare, is a species of hare found in southern and central Italy and Corsica.
Taxonomy
It was first described as a species in 1898 by the British zoologist William ...
, ''Lepus corsicanus''
*** Tehuantepec jackrabbit
The Tehuantepec jackrabbit (''Lepus flavigularis'') is a jackrabbit endemic to Mexico. Description
It is easily distinguished from other species by two black stripes that run from the base of the ears to the nape, and by its white flanks. Its un ...
, ''Lepus flavigularis''
*** Granada hare
The Granada hare (''Lepus granatensis''), also known as the Iberian hare, is a hare species that can be found on the Iberian Peninsula and on the island of Majorca.
Subspecies
Three subspecies of the Granada hare are known, which vary in colour ...
, ''Lepus granatensis''
*** Abyssinian hare
The Abyssinian hare (''Lepus habessinicus'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is almost entirely restricted to the nations of the Horn of Africa, though it extends marginally into eastern Sudan and may also occur in far northern ...
, ''Lepus habessinicus''
*** Woolly hare
The woolly hare (''Lepus oiostolus'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is found in western and central China, northern India, and Nepal, where its typical habitat is montane grassland. It has a wide range and is present in some ...
, ''Lepus oiostolus''
*** Scrub hare, ''Lepus saxatilis''
*** White-tailed jackrabbit
The white-tailed jackrabbit (''Lepus townsendii''), also known as the prairie hare and the white jack, is a species of hare found in western North America. Like all hares and rabbits, it is a member of the family Leporidae of order Lagomorpha ...
, ''Lepus townsendii''
*Genus †'' Serengetilagus''
** †''Serengetilagus praecapensis''
*Genus †''Aztlanolagus
''Aztlanolagus'' is an extinct monotypic genus of rabbit that lived during the Quaternary in what is now the Southern to Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. ''Aztlanolagus agilis'' is currently the only recognized species, though dif ...
''
** †''Aztlanolagus agilis''
Predation
Predators of rabbits and hares include raccoon
The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...
s, snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s, eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
s, canids
Canidae (; from Latin, ''canis'', "dog") is a biological family of dog-like carnivorans, colloquially referred to as dogs, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). There are three subfamilies found within th ...
, cats
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...
, mustelids
The Mustelidae (; from Latin ''mustela'', weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines, among others. Mustelids () are a diverse group and form the largest family in the ...
, owl
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
s and hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
s. Animals that eat roadkill
Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by drivers of motor vehicles on highways. Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) have increasingly been the topic of academic research to understand the causes, and how it can be mi ...
rabbits include vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
s and buzzard
Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey.
''Buteo'' species
* Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'')
* Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'')
* Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'')
* Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'')
* Eastern ...
s.
See also
* Mara (mammal)
Maras, subfamily Dolichotinae, are a group of rodents in the family Caviidae. These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina, but also live in Paraguay and elsewhere in South America. There are two extant ...
* Viscacha
Viscacha or vizcacha (, ) are rodents of two genera (''Lagidium'' and ''Lagostomus'') in the family Chinchillidae. They are native to South America and convergently resemble rabbits.
The five extant species of viscacha are:
*The plains visca ...
References
{{authority control
Leporidae
Mammal families
Extant Ypresian first appearances
Taxa named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim