Leporidae

(vertebrate zoology) A family of mammals in the order Lagomorpha including the rabbits and hares.

(Leporidae)

Class: Mammalia

Order: Lagomorpha

Family: Leporidae

Thumbnail description
Small- to medium-sized mammals with long ears, short tails, and long hind legs

Size
10–30 in (25–75 cm); 14 oz–13.2 lb (400–6,000 g); females usually larger than males

Number of genera, species
11 genera; 61 species

Habitat
Forest, woodland, savanna, scrub, and tundra

Conservation status
Critically Endangered: 2; Endangered: 7; Vulnerable: 3; Data Deficient: 9

Distribution
Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and introduced to Australia, New Zealand, Java, and other islands

Evolution and systematics

The Leporidae is sometimes divided into subfamilies Paleolaginae (Pentalagus, Pronolagus, and Romerolagus) and Leporinae (remaining genera). There are 11 genera: 32 Lepus, true hares; 1 Oryctolagus, European rabbit; 17 Sylvilagus, cotton-tails; 1 Brachylagus, pygmy rabbit; 3 Pronolagus, red rock-hares; 1 Bunolagus, riverine rabbit; 1 Pentalagus, Amami rabbit; 1 Caprolagus, hispid hare; 1 Poelagus, Bunyoro rabbit; 2 Nesolagus, striped rabbits; and 1 Romerolagus, volcano rabbit.

Early leporids were found in both the Old and New World before Lepus evolved, but had a probable origin in Asia. The Leporidae arose in the Pliocene and Lepus in the early Middle Pleistocene. Whereas Pentalagus, Pronolagus, and Romerolagus are ancient forms, Lepus is a young expanding genus.

The monotypical genera in Leporidae are taxonomically distinct with the exception of Brachylagus, which sometimes is included in Sylvilagus. However, the Lepus genus is in a state of confusion regarding both phylogeny and number of species.

Physical characteristics

All species in the family Leporidae have basic brown or gray soft fur with relatively long legs, feet, and ears. The tail is short and bushy. Some northern forms turn white for winter, and two are striped. The family can be split into two groups, hares and rabbits, based on morphology and ecology. The hare group includes all hares and jackrabbits in the genus Lepus, hereafter called hares. The rabbit group consists of the remaining genera in the family, despite that they are sometimes also known as hares (for example, hispid hares) hereafter called rabbits. Hares have long legs and can reach considerable running speed. They also have longer ears, usually with black tips, and are, overall, larger than rabbits. The body length of hares is 15–30 in (40–75 cm), with a weight of 3–13.2 lb (1,350–6,000 g). Rabbits, on the other hand, have shorter legs and are generally smaller: 10–20 in (25–50 cm); 14 oz–6.6 lb (400–3,000 g).

Distribution

Altogether, hares and rabbits are distributed over most areas of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and have also been introduced into southern South America, Australia, New Zealand, Java, and other islands.

The natural habitat of European hares is open terrain ranging from forest steppes to arid steppes. They therefore benefit from cultivation of fields. In connection to agriculture, they spread rapidly to the east and northeast during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They were also successfully introduced in agricultural areas in Argentina, Ireland, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Australia, and southern Siberia.

The European rabbit has a similar increase in distribution due to many introductions in suitable habitats. Before the Ice Age, it inhabited parts of Western Europe, as indicated by fossils. However, its natural post-Ice Age distribution includes only Spain and northwest Africa. But already the Romans had introduced rabbits to different parts of Europe. There were several introductions in Australia, but the successful ones came from 24 rabbits in 1859 in Victoria and in 1864 to New Zealand. Both Australia and New Zealand suffered tremendously from a gigantic rabbit population explosion. In spite of the disastrous consequences, wild rabbits were later introduced into Chile and became a plague there as well.

Habitat

Since hares and rabbits are found almost all over the world, they are also both found in a variety of habitats, from deep forests to open deserts. But hares have different basic habitat requirements than rabbits.

Hares are mostly found in open areas where their running speed is a good adaptation to escape predators. They can thus be found from arctic tundra to productive grasslands or deserts. In these open areas, they take advantage of shrubs and rocks to hide, and rely on their well-camouflaged fur. But snowshoe hares and partly mountain hares and Manchurian hares prefer coniferous or mixed forests.

However, rabbits are confined to forests and shrubs where they can hide in the vegetation or in burrows. Some rabbits are found in deep tropical forests, such as the striped rabbits, and others use specific habitats like riverine shrubs, as do the riverine rabbit and hispid hare. Cottontails inhabit a large variety of habitats, including swamps, forests, parks, agricultural field, shrubs, and deserts.

Behavior

Predation is an important aspect in the life of hares and rabbits. Hares escape predators by running away and try to confuse predators by backtracking themselves. Rabbits try to escape predators by running into burrows or holes. Therefore, hares can travel considerable distances and have large home ranges, while rabbits mostly stay in the vicinity of safe hiding places in small home ranges or territories. Many species use distress calls or thump their hind feet on the ground to warn for predators. They also use a soft sound produced by grinding their teeth.

Hearing is the most important sense for leporids, but scent marking is also an central way to communicate. They have scent glands on their nose, chin, and around the anus. This is important in sexual situations, especially for the social European rabbit.

Feeding ecology and diet

All hares and rabbits are strictly herbivores. Their diets include green plant parts, especially grasses, clover, and, to a lesser extent, cruciferous and composite plants (e.g., dandelions). In winter, the diet also includes dry twigs, buds, young tree bark, roots, and seeds. In steppe regions, the winter diet consists of dry weeds and seeds. Most like cultivated plants such as winter grains, rapeseed, cabbage, parsley, and carnations. Both hares and rabbits may damage cereals, brassica crops, fruit trees, and tree plantations, especially in winter. Hares rarely drink when there are enough moist plants around, but sometimes eat snow in the winter.

Reproductive biology

Most hares and rabbits are solitary, although they can be seen in groups around mating season when males fight each other to build social hierarchies and try to get access to females in estrous. But the European rabbit forms highly social groups with one to four males and one to nine females. They can dig complex burrows that they defend against other social groups. Both males and females are promiscuous. Like many leporids, they mate again soon after giving birth. Since gestation length for the European rabbit is about 30 days, they give birth to five to seven litters a year. European hares increase reproductive output by fertilizing a second litter before the first one is born (superfetation).

Hares give birth, after a long gestation period, to well-developed fur-covered leverets that have open eyes and that can already move around at birth. Rabbits have a shorter gestation period and build nests with fur in burrows or hollows underground or in dense cover. The newborn rabbit kittens are poorly developed with eyes closed and no fur. After birth, both hare and rabbit mothers suckle their leverets only once a day with highly nutritious milk. This lack of social contact makes it difficult for predators to find juvenile hares and rabbits. Litter size of both hares and rabbits vary with geography and climate.

Conservation status

Typically, the ancient rabbit species are threatened with extinction because of low population sizes and restricted distributions, including the riverine rabbit, volcano rabbit, hispid hare, and the two striped rabbits. Some species on islands are also Endangered, such as the Hainan hare, Tres Marias cottontail, and Amami rabbit.

Many species have not been evaluated by IUCN and some of those will undoubtedly be listed as threatened such as the newly described Annamite striped rabbit. Another problem is the taxonomy where relationships between taxa are not well described.

Significance to humans

Many hares and rabbits are economically important for humans. They are hunted for meat, skin, and for sport. Cottontails and some of the hares are hunted in millions every year. However, they may also damage agricultural crops and forestry plantations. When introduced into new areas, they can also threaten native species.

Hares and rabbits are known from tales dating back centuries, mostly as tricksters and fertility symbols. The hare was, for example, important in the Germanic heathen mythology as the fertility goddess Ostara, and was transformed by Christians into the Easter celebration.

The domestic European rabbit is well known all over the world and used extensively in laboratory research and as pet animals. The first descriptions of domestic breeds of European rabbits come from France in the sixteenth century.

Species accounts

Resources

Chapman, J. A., and J. E. C. Flux, eds. Rabbits, Hares and Pikas, Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature, 1990.

Smith, A. J., and D. Bell. "Rabbits and Hares." In The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, edited by D. W. Macdonald. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Angerbjörn, A., and J. E. C. Flux. "Lepus timidus." Mammalian Species 495 (1995): 1–11.

Averianov, A. O., A. V. Abramov, and A. N. Tikhonov. "A New Species of Nesolagus (Lagomorpha, Leoporidae) from Vietnam with Osteological Description." Contributions from the Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg 3 (2000): 1–22.

Chapman, J. A., and G. R. Willner. "Sylvilagus audubonii." Mammalian Species 106 (1978): 1–4.

Chapman, J. A., J. G. Hockman, and M. M. Ojeda C. "Sylvilagus floridanus." Mammalian Species 136 (1980): 1–8.

Surridge, A. K., R. J. Timmins, G. M. Hewitt, and D. J. Bell. "Striped Rabbits in Southeast Asia." Nature 400 (1999): 726.

IUCN—The World Conservation Union, Species Survival Commission, Lagomorph Specialist Group. Web site:

[Article by: Anders Angerbjörn, PhD]

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: hares and rabbits
  Synonym: family Leporidae

Rabbits and hares[1] Fossil range: 53–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Late Eocene – Recent
Arctic Hare (Lepus arcticus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Lagomorpha Family: Leporidae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
Genera
Pentalagus Bunolagus Nesolagus Romerolagus Brachylagus Sylvilagus Oryctolagus Poelagus Caprolagus Pronolagus Lepus

Leporids are the approximately 50 species of rabbits and hares which form the family Leporidae. The leporids, together with the pikas, constitute the Lagomorpha order of mammals. Leporids differ from pikas in having short furry tails, and elongated ears and hind legs. The name leporid is derived from Latin leporis, genitive of lepus, a hare.

Members of all genera except Lepus are usually referred to as rabbits, while members of Lepus (which accounts for almost half the species) are usually called hares. However the distinction between these two common names does not map completely into current taxonomy, since jackrabbits are members of Lepus, and members of the genera Pronolagus and Caprolagus are sometimes called hares.

Leporids are native across the world except Antarctica, and in Oceania where their introduction is a significant threat for the native mammals in Australia.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Evolution 3 Classification 4 See also 5 References

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 or crepuscular mode of living.^[2]

Leporids range in size from the Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis), with a head and body length of 25–29 cm, and a weight of around 300 grams, to the European Hare (Lepus europaeus), which is 50–76 cm in head-body length, and weighs from 2.5 to 5 kilograms.

Both rabbits and hares are almost exclusively herbivorous (with exceptions among the members of Lepus),^[3][4] feeding primarily on grasses and herbs, although they also eat leaves, fruit, and seeds of various kinds. They pass food through their digestive systems twice, first expelling it as soft green feces, which they then re-ingest, eventually producing hard, dark fecal pellets. Like rodents, they have powerful front incisor 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. The dental formula of most, though not all, leporids is:

Dentition
2.0.3.3
1.0.2.3

They have adapted to a remarkable range of habitats, from desert to tundra, forests, mountains, and swampland. Rabbits generally dig permanent burrows 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^[2].

The gestation 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^[2]. Leporids can have several litters a year, which can cause their population to expand dramatically in a short period of time when resources are plentiful.

Evolution

The oldest known leporid species date from the late 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, an extinct rabbit from the Oligocene 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^[5]. Two as yet unnamed fossil finds—dated ~48 Ma (from China) and ~53 Ma (India)—while primitive, display the characteristic leporid ankle, thus pushing the divergence of Ochotonidae and Leporidae yet further into the past.^[6]

Classification

Family Leporidae:^[1] rabbits and hares

• Genus Pentalagus
  • Amami Rabbit/Ryūkyū Rabbit, Pentalagus furnessi
• Genus Bunolagus
  • Riverine Rabbit, Bunolagus monticularis
• Genus Nesolagus
  • Sumatran Striped Rabbit, Nesolagus netscheri
  • Annamite Striped Rabbit, Nesolagus timminsi
• Genus Romerolagus
  • Volcano Rabbit, Romerolagus diazi
• Genus Brachylagus
  • Pygmy Rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis
• Genus Sylvilagus
  • Subgenus Tapeti
    • Swamp Rabbit, Sylvilagus aquaticus
    • Tapeti, Sylvilagus brasiliensis
    • Dice's Cottontail, Sylvilagus dicei
    • Omilteme Cottontail, Sylvilagus insonus
    • Marsh Rabbit, Sylvilagus palustris
    • Venezuelan Lowland Rabbit, Sylvilagus varynaensis
  • Subgenus Sylvilagus
    • Desert Cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii
    • Manzano Mountain Cottontail, Sylvilagus cognatus
    • Mexican Cottontail, Sylvilagus cunicularis
    • Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus
    • Tres Marias Rabbit, Sylvilagus graysoni
    • Mountain Cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttallii
    • Appalachian Cottontail, Sylvilagus obscurus
    • Robust Rabbit, Sylvilagus robustus
  • Subgenus Microlagus
    • Brush Rabbit, Sylvilagus bachmani
    • San Jose Brush Rabbit, Sylvilagus mansuetus
• Genus Oryctolagus
  • European Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus
• Genus Poelagus
  • Bunyoro Rabbit, Poelagus marjorita
• Genus Pronolagus
  • Natal Red Rock Hare, Pronolagus crassicaudatus
  • Jameson's Red Rock Hare, Pronolagus randensis
  • Smith's Red Rock Hare, Pronolagus rupestris
• Genus Caprolagus
  • Hispid Hare, Caprolagus hispidus
• Genus Lepus
  • Subgenus Macrotolagus
    • Antelope Jackrabbit, Lepus alleni
  • Subgenus Poecilolagus
    • Snowshoe Hare, Lepus americanus
  • Subgenus Lepus
    • Arctic Hare, Lepus arcticus
    • Alaskan Hare, Lepus othus
    • Mountain Hare, Lepus timidus
  • Subgenus Proeulagus
    • Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
    • White-sided Jackrabbit, Lepus callotis
    • Cape Hare, Lepus capensis
    • Tehuantepec Jackrabbit, Lepus flavigularis
    • Black Jackrabbit, Lepus insularis
    • Scrub Hare, Lepus saxatilis
    • Desert Hare, Lepus tibetanus
    • Tolai Hare, Lepus tolai
  • Subgenus Eulagos
    • Broom Hare, Lepus castrovieoi
    • Yunnan Hare, Lepus comus
    • Korean Hare, Lepus coreanus
    • Corsican Hare, Lepus corsicanus
    • European Hare, Lepus europaeus
    • Granada Hare, Lepus granatensis
    • Manchurian Hare, Lepus mandschuricus
    • Woolly Hare, Lepus oiostolus
    • Ethiopian Highland Hare, Lepus starcki
    • White-tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii
  • Subgenus Sabanalagus
    • Ethiopian Hare, Lepus fagani
    • African Savanna Hare, Lepus microtis
  • Subgenus Indolagus
    • Hainan Hare, Lepus hainanus
    • Indian Hare, Lepus nigricollis
    • Burmese Hare, Lepus peguensis
  • Subgenus Sinolagus
    • Chinese Hare, Lepus sinensis
  • Subgenus Tarimolagus
    • Yarkand Hare, Lepus yarkandensis
  • Subgenus incertae sedis
    • Japanese Hare, Lepus brachyurus
    • Abyssinian Hare, Lepus habessinicus

See also

• Cecotrope

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Hoffmann, Robert S.; Andrew T. Smith (2005-11-16). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 194–211. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Chapman, J. & Schneider, E. (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 714–719. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 
3. ^ Best, Troy L.; Henry, Travis Hill (1994), "Lepus arcticus", Mammalian Species (457): 1–9, June 2, 1994, doi:10.2307/3504088, OCLC 46381503 
4. ^ "Snowshoe Hare" (HTML). eNature: FieldGuides. eNature.com. 2007. http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?curFamilyID=556&curGroupID=5&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=2. Retrieved on 2008-03-23. 
5. ^ Savage, RJG, & Long, MR (1986). Mammal Evolution: an illustrated guide. New York: Facts on File. pp. 128–129. ISBN 0-8160-1194-X. 
6. ^ Handwerk, Brian (2008-03-21). "Easter Surprise: World's Oldest Rabbit Bones Found". National Geographic News (National Geographic Society). http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/03/080321-rabbit-bones.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-23. 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leporidae

v • d • e Extant Lagomorpha species Kingdom Animalia · Phylum Chordata · Class Mammalia · Infraclass Eutheria · Superorder Euarchontoglires   Family Ochotonidae (Pikas) Ochotona Subgenus Pika: Alpine Pika (O. alpina) · Helan Shan Pika (O. argentata) · Collared Pika (O. collaris) · Hoffmann's Pika (O. hoffmanni) · Northern Pika (O. hyperborea) · Pallas's Pika (O. pallasi) · American Pika (O. princeps) · Turuchan Pika (O. turuchanensis) Subgenus Ochotona: Gansu Pika (O. cansus) · Plateau Pika (O. curzoniae) · Daurian Pika (O. dauurica) · Tsing-ling Pika (O. huangensis) · Nubra Pika (O. nubrica) · Steppe Pika (O. pusilla) · Afghan Pika (O. rufescens) · Moupin Pika (O. thibetana) · Thomas's Pika (O. thomasi) Subgenus Conothoa: Chinese Red Pika (O. erythrotis) · Forrest's Pika (O. forresti) · Gaoligong Pika (O. gaoligongensis) · Glover's Pika (O. gloveri) · Himalayan Pika (O. himalayana) · Ili Pika (O. iliensis) · Koslov's Pika (O. koslowi) · Ladak Pika (O. ladacensis) · Large-eared Pika (O. macrotis) · Muli Pika (O. muliensis) · Black Pika (O. nigritia) · Royle's Pika (O. roylei) · Turkestan Red Pika (O. rutila)   Family Leporidae (includes Rabbits) Pentalagus Amami Rabbit (P. furnessi) Bunolagus Riverine Rabbit (B. monticularis) Nesolagus Sumatran Striped Rabbit (N. netscheri) · Annamite Striped Rabbit (N. timminsi) Romerolagus Volcano Rabbit (R. diazi) Brachylagus Pygmy Rabbit (B. idahoensis) Sylvilagus (Cottontail rabbits) Subgenus Tapeti: Swamp Rabbit (S. aquaticus) · Tapeti (S. brasiliensis) · Dice's Cottontail (S. dicei) · Omilteme Cottontail (S. insonus) · Marsh Rabbit (S. palustris) · Venezuelan Lowland Rabbit (S. varynaensis) Subgenus Sylvilagus: Desert Cottontail (S. audubonii) · Manzano Mountain Cottontail (S. cognatus) · Mexican Cottontail (S. cunicularis) · Eastern Cottontail (S. floridanus) · Tres Marias Rabbit (S. graysoni) · Mountain Cottontail (S. nuttallii) · Appalachian Cottontail (S. obscurus) · Robust Rabbit (S. robustus) Subgenus Microlagus: Brush Rabbit (S. bachmani) · San Jose Brush Rabbit (S. mansuetus) Oryctolagus European Rabbit (O. cuniculus) Poelagus Bunyoro Rabbit (P. marjorita) Pronolagus (Red rock hares) Natal Red Rock Hare (P. crassicaudatus) · Jameson's Red Rock Hare (P. randensis) · Smith's Red Rock Hare (P. rupestris) Caprolagus Hispid Hare (C. hispidus) Lepus (Hares) Subgenus Macrotolagus: Antelope Jackrabbit (L. alleni) Subgenus Poecilolagus: Snowshoe Hare (L. americanus) Subgenus Lepus: Arctic Hare (L. arcticus) · Alaskan Hare (L. othus) · Mountain Hare (L. timidus) Subgenus Proeulagus: Black-tailed Jackrabbit (L. californicus) · White-sided Jackrabbit (L. callotis) · Cape Hare (L. capensis) · Tehuantepec Jackrabbit (L. flavigularis) · Black Jackrabbit (L. insularis) · Scrub Hare (L. saxatilis) · Desert Hare (L. tibetanus) · Tolai Hare (L. tolai) Subgenus Eulagos: Broom Hare (L. castrovieoi) · Yunnan Hare (L. comus) · Korean Hare (L. coreanus) · Corsican Hare (L. corsicanus) · European Hare (L. europaeus) · Granada Hare (L. granatensis) · Manchurian Hare (L. mandschuricus) · Woolly Hare (L. oiostolus) · Ethiopian Highland Hare (L. starcki) · White-tailed Jackrabbit (L. townsendii) Subgenus Sabanalagus: Ethiopian Hare (L. fagani) · African Savanna Hare (L. microtis) Subgenus Indolagus: Hainan Hare (L. hainanus) · Indian Hare (L. nigricollis) · Burmese Hare (L. peguensis) Subgenus Sinolagus: Chinese Hare (L. sinensis) Subgenus Tarimolagus: Yarkand Hare (L. yarkandensis) Subgenus incertae sedis: Japanese Hare (L. brachyurus) · Abyssinian Hare (L. habessinicus)

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