Jameson's red rock hare (''Pronolagus randensis'') is a

leporid Leporidae is the family of rabbits and hares, containing over 60 species of extant mammals in all. The Latin word ''Leporidae'' means "those that resemble ''lepus''" (hare). Together with the pikas, the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order ...

found only on the

continent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas t ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, mostly in the southern portion of the continent.

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

and

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

are thought to have the largest populations of the red rock hare and it is said to be found throughout both countries.

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

has a population of this

red rock hare 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 ...

but it is only found in the northwestern part of the country.

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

also has a population in the

Tswapong Hills The Tswapong Hills are a mountain range in the Central District, Botswana. They rise to an elevation of 300 to 400 m above the hardveld of the almost 900 m high surrounding plateau. Geologically, these flat-topped hills are similar to the Waterb ...

Habitat

Jameson's red rock hare is found in very rocky environments, this is where it gets its name. This red rock hare is found on the rocky slopes of mountainous regions of the southern African continent. It is also found in grassy or bushy areas on or around these mountains and it uses them as its shelter during resting periods and sleep.

Description

This species has a fine, silky

fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

which is grizzled rufous-brown on the upper parts of the body. It has a whitish chin and slightly lighter fur on the ventrum. The sides of the neck, lower

jaw The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term ''jaws'' is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serv ...

and

cheek The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the insi ...

s are light grey in colour. It has a large reddish-brown, black tipped

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammal ...

. The large

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

s are sparsely haired and sometimes are tipped with black. When fully grown, this red rock hare can weigh more than 5 pounds.

Reproduction

Very little is known about its

breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and ra ...

habits. It is assumed that breeding can and does occur year around and

female Female ( symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

s give birth to one to three young per

litter Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. Litter can also be used as a verb; to litter means to drop and leave objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups ...

Behavior

Active by night, this species remains in hiding during the day and therefore is nocturnal. Solitary in habits, although it is sometimes seen in groups consisting of a female and her young. An

oestrus 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 ...

female is often followed by courting males as with other species.

Food

Jameson's red rock hare only feeds at night, when it is most active. It feeds on the vegetation and insects in and around its habitat including

grasses 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 ...

, leaves, and certain fruits. As with other hares and rabbits, Jameson's red rock hare practices

coprophagy 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), o ...

in order to get the most nutrients out of its diet.

Human interaction and impact

Jameson's red rock hare is not on any endangered or threatened list. The habitat it uses, as with many other animals' habitats, is endangered because of human encroachment. The continent of Africa, even the region this species is found, is often war-torn and this may affect Jameson's red rock hare, its habitat, or both. Currently, though, the population of Jameson's red rock hare appears to be stable.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q543227 Pronolagus Mammals described in 1907