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Brown Hare - Lepus europaeus
Topic Started: Jul 10 2012, 12:38 PM (1,929 Views)
Elephantus
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Brown Hare - Lepus europaeus

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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Lepus
Species: Lepus europaeus

The brown hare, also known as the European hare or European jackrabbit, is a species of hare native to northern, central, and western Europe and western Asia. It is a mammal adapted to temperate, open country. It is related to the similarly appearing rabbit, which is in the same family but a different genus. It breeds on the ground rather than in a burrow and relies on speed to escape.

Habitat

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The brown hare ranges from continental Europe though the Middle East and into central Asia. It was probably introduced to Great Britain in ancient times, partially replacing its close relative, the Mountain hare. In more recent centuries the hare has been introduced to many other areas around the world: Eastern North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand and many islands including Tasmania, the Falklands, Barbados and Reunion.

Hares primarily live in open fields and pasture usually near agricultural areas and bordered by hedgerows and woodlots. They prefer to live in shallow forms like clumps of grass, weeds or brush.

Description
The European hare is one of the largest living lagomorphs. Its head and body length can range from 48 to 75 cm (19 to 30 in) with a tail length of 7–13 cm (2.8–5.1 in). The body mass can range from 2.5 to 7 kg (5.5 to 15 lb).

There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism in the species. As with all leporids, the hare has elongated ears. The ears of the European hare are greyish white inside and have black tips on the top ends. It also has long hind feet that have a length from 142 to 161 mm. Most of the hare’s body is covered in yellowish-brown to greyish-brown fur but has greyish-white fur on the underside. In addition its face is brown with black rings around the eyes.

Unlike some other leporids, the European hare’s fur does not turn white in the winter, but it does get slightly more grey.

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Ecology
Outside of the mating season, the European hare lives a largely solitary lifestyle. It is mostly nocturnal and crepuscular. During daytime, a hare will hide in a depression called a "form" where they are partially hidden. Hares are capable of running in speeds of up to 35 mph (56 km/h) in a straight line. When running from its predators, the hare can dodge and change direction quickly. They will even dive into streams and can swim. Predators of the hare include red fox, wolf, wild cats and birds of prey. Although they are usually quiet, hares will make low grunts and females will make "guttural" calls to her young. They emit a shrill call when caught or hurt.

European hares are primarily herbivorous. During the summer, they eat grasses, herbs and field crops. During the winter, they eat twigs, buds and the bark of shrubs and young fruit trees. They have been known to eat their own pellet feces to recover proteins and vitamins.

Normally shy animals, hares change their behaviors in the spring, when they can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around meadows. During this spring frenzy, hares can be seen "boxing", where hares strike one another with their paws. For a long time, this had been thought to be competition between males, but closer observation has revealed it is usually a female hitting a male, either to show she is not yet quite ready to mate or as a test of his determination.

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Reproduction
European hares have a prolonged breeding season which lasts from January to August. At least some females, or does, have been found pregnant in all breeding months and males, or bucks, are fertile in all months of the year except in October and November.

Young are born precocial from birth and have long, silky fur. This is because hares do not give birth to their young below ground in a burrow but rather in a form. Thus hares are adapted to the lack of physical protection, relative to that afforded by a burrow. A mother will disperse her young over a moderately large area to lessen the chance of a predator preying on the whole litter. She will make the rounds to nurse them. Young become independent at around a month old.

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Edited by Elephantus, Jul 11 2012, 11:14 AM.
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