Hares, rabbits and pikas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The family Leporidae contains 11 genera with about 70 species. Members occur naturally on all continents, except Australia and Antarctica, but some species have been introduced to Australia, where they constitute a huge ecological problem, outcompeting indigenous species.

The family Ochotonidae contains about 30 species, all placed in a single genus, Ochotona. The vast majority live in central, eastern, and north-eastern Asia, with 2 species occurring in western North America.

The term rabbit refers to all members of Leporidae, with the exception of the genus Lepus, whose members are usually called hares. Some American species, however, are known as jackrabbits due to their extremely long ears.

All 3 groups are predominantly vegetarians, but some hares are known to eat carrion, and some species of pika store dead migrant birds in their burrows, eating their brains during winter, when they need more energy, as they do not hibernate.

Most species of hare are solitary steppe animals, adapted to a life in open areas with scattered vegetation. They are characterized by their usually very long ears and long hindlegs. By standing on their hindlegs, they are often able to discover predators at a long distance, and then hide in dense vegetation, staying completely motionless. They often rest in the same spots, called forms. If detected, they are able to flee at a speed up to about 70 km per hour, and some species may jump sideways to break their scent trail.

The young are born with a complete fur and a good eyesight, and after giving birth in dense vegetation the mother leaves them, only returning a few times to feed them. They lie completely motionless, but naturally many are detected by predators, and some succumb to bad weather, for instance several days of rain. To compensate for the large mortality, female hares give birth to several litters a year.

Rabbits have shorter ears and shorter hindlegs than hares. Some species are social animals, living in extended family groups in burrows, called warrens. Other species hide in dense vegetation, just as hares do. The young are born hairless and blind, and they have to remain hidden for weeks in the burrows or in dense vegetation, before emerging into the open.

 

The generic name is the classical Latin term for hare.

 

The name jackrabbit refers to its extremely long, donkey-like ears. (A male donkey is called a jack.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a steppe animal, living in open areas with scattered bushes, but has readily adapted to a life in farmland, as long as there is shelter nearby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Habitats include open forests, shrubberies, grassland, deserts, wasteland, and cultivated areas. In the Himalaya, it has been observed up to elevations around 4,500 m.

The Indian hare varies quite a lot between the subspecies. The black-naped hare, ssp. nigricollis, which is found in southern India and Sri Lanka, has a black patch on the hind neck, and its tail is black above. The neck of ssp. ruficaudatus is grey, and the tail is brown above. The colour of ssp. dayanus, which lives in deserts, is sandy-yellow.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is unexplained.

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the name mountain hare, it also lives in lowlands, found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, coastal marshes, forests, and farmland.

In Sweden, it has declined drastically due to competition from the introduced European hare (presented above).

It is not clear what the specific name refers to.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name may refer to Lake Victoria, or to Victoria, Queen of England 1837-1901.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a very important prey species for many predators, including foxes, dingo, wolf, wild cat, polecat, Iberian lynx, and eagles.

The European rabbit has been introduced as a hunting object to many other countries on all continents, except Antarctica. In countless cases, it has done severe damage to the environment, partly through overgrazing, partly through its system of underground tunnels, and partly through competition with local wildlife. It is regarded as an invasive species in most countries.

It was first brought to Britain by the Romans, following their invasion in A.D. 43, and today it is extremely common – an estimate in 2004 suggested about 40 million.

In Australia, 24 European rabbits were introduced in Victoria in 1859. The vast farmlands were an ideal habitat for the rabbits, and the mild winters allowed them to breed year-round, so they quickly spread over most of the country. Australia’s equivalent to the rabbit, the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis), could not compete with the fast-breeding rabbits, and today it is an endangered species.

Other places of introduction include New Zealand, certain Hawaiian islands, and islands off the coast of South Africa.

There are also many instances of pet rabbits, which have escaped, forming feral populations.

The European rabbit is the only domesticated rabbit species. Originally, it was kept for fur and meat production. In 1994, it was estimated that the annual procuction of rabbit meat was 1,500,000 tonnes. Its fur is mainly used for felting or hats. Later it became a popular pet animal, and today as many as 305 breeds are known.

The generic name is composed of Ancient Greek oryktos (‘dug up’), and lagos, the classical term for hare. The specific name is the classical Latin term for rabbit, presumably originated from Ancient Greek kuniklos (‘burrow’), combined with the Latin diminutive culus, thus ‘the small digger’.

In 1972, English author Richard Adams (1920-2016) wrote the novel Watership Down, describing the life of a group of wild rabbits in southern England. Much of the behaviour of the rabbits in the novel was based on the book The Private Life of the Rabbit (1964), by British naturalist Ronald Lockley (1903-2000). Although the rabbits have been anthropomorphized in Adams’s novel, it gives a fair account of the life of these animals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is a combination of the Latin silva (‘forest’), and lagos, the classical Greek term for hare. It is derived from the original name of the eastern cottontail (described below), Lepus sylvaticus, applied in 1837 by Lutheran minister and naturalist John Bachman (1790-1874). This animal lives in a variety of habitats, including forest.

 

It lives in a variety of habitats, including deserts, dry grasslands, and piñon-juniper forest, at elevations up to around 1,800 m. In the most arid zones it is mainly found along rivers. It gives birth to its young in abandoned burrows, dug by other animals.

The specific name honours French-American artist and naturalist John James Audubon (born Jean-Jacques Rabin, 1785-1851), who is best known for his books The Birds of America (published in several volumes 1827-1838), and The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1845).

 

 

 

 

 

In Oregon it has been known to hybridize with the introduced eastern cottontail (described below).

The specific name was given in honour of John Bachman (see genus name above).

 

 

 

 

 

Originally, it was restricted to the eastern United States, but following the clearance of forests by settlers, it expanded its range west- and northwards. Formerly, it was not found in New England, but was introduced and now competes with the native New England cottontail (S. transitionalis).

It has also been introduced to Oregon, Washington State, and British Columbia, and in Europe to France, northern Italy, and other places. It has disappeared from France, but the population in Italy seems to be expanding.

The specific name refers to Florida, where the type specimen was collected.

Previously, cottontails in the mountains of the south-western United States and western Mexico were regarded as belonging to this species, but are now considered a distinct species, the robust cottontail (S. holzneri).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘living in marshes’.

 

 

 

 

 

Pikas mainly live in rocky or grassy ares, where they either dig a burrow or live in crevices among rocks and scree. During the summer months, they collect large amounts of grass and other plants to store as winter food, as they do not hibernate. Some species have been known to store dead migrant birds in their burrows, eating their brains during winter, when they need more energy.

The generic name is probably derived from the Mongolian word for these animals, ogdoi, whereas the name pika is derived from their Tungus name, piika.

 

The specific name honours British politician and explorer George Nathaniel Curzon (1859-1925), who served as Viceroy of India 1899-1905, and as Foreign Secretary 1919-1924. During an expedition to Russia and Central Asia 1888-89, he collected specimens of this animal.

 

 

 

 

 

This pika is known to store dead migrant birds in its burrow, eating their brains during winter, when it needs more energy, as it does not hibernate, despite the harsh climate.

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek hyper (‘over’) and boreios (‘northern’), thus ‘living in the extreme north’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin macro (‘large’), ultimately from Ancient Greek makros (‘long’), and Ancient Greek ous (‘ear’).

 

 

 

 

 

The fur colour of this species varies considerably, as is obvious in the pictures below.

The specific name was given in honour of British surgeon and naturalist John Forbes Royle (1798-1858), who is chiefly known for his works Illustrations of the Botany and other branches of Natural History of the Himalayan Mountains, and Flora of Cashmere.