Contents
RABBITS AND HARES,
common name for members of the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha,
which also contains the pikas. Although the common names rabbit
and hare are often used interchangeably, in zoological classification
the species called rabbits are characterized by their offspring
that are born naked and blind, and by their habit of living in colonies
in underground burrows. In contrast, species designated zoologically
as hares are born furred and with vision, and the adults build a
simple nest and rarely live socially. The hare is also generally
larger than the rabbit and has longer ears with characteristic black markings.
Moreover, the skulls of rabbits and hares are distinctly different.
|
|
|
Photos.com
|
|
Cottontail Rabbit
|
Distributed throughout the world, hares and rabbits have many
common characteristics. Both species breed prolifically, bearing
four to eight litters a year, with three to eight young in each
litter, have a period of gestation lasting about a month, reach
sexual maturity in about six months, and have a life span of about
ten years. These animals, which weigh from about 1 to 5 kg (about
2 to 11 lb) and attain a length of about 30 to 60 cm (about 12 to
24 in), feed mainly on herbs, tree bark, and vegetables. They prefer
to live in regions where the soil is loose and dry and where brushwood
offers shelter. Although rabbits and hares are valued as game by
hunters, as food, and for their fur, they often are pests to farmers
whose trees and crops they destroy. The species commonly found in
the U.S. are the cottontail, the snowshoe rabbit, the jackrabbit,
and the domestic rabbit.
The chief wild rabbit of North America is the cottontail of
the genus Sylvilagus. Its name is derived from
the white undersurface of its short tail, which resembles a puff
of cotton. The cottontail is noted for remaining motionless to avoid
notice when it senses danger. The rabbit, which swims well, also
evades enemies by plunging into lakes or streams.
The varying hare, Lepus americanus, known
popularly as the snowshoe rabbit, is distributed widely throughout
North America. In winter it is pure white except for black ear tips,
and in summer it is reddish-brown. The young snowshoe weighs 85
g (3 oz) at birth and develops so rapidly that it crawls on the
second day after birth and hops on the third day. Adult males, called
bucks, fight one another with their teeth when they court the same
females, which are known as does. Although largely herbivorous, the
adult snowshoe rabbit may eat carrion.
Another hare, Lepus californicus, known as
the jackrabbit, is found in the western parts of the U.S. and of
Canada. The fastest of the Leporidae, jackrabbits achieve speeds
of about 70 km/hr (about 45 mph) and can bound some 4.5
to 6 m (some 15 to 20 ft) in a single jump. Because this species
competes with grazing animals for food, livestock owners in the
western U.S. have undertaken great drives to reduce the hare population,
which has been estimated to be as high as 3100 per sq km (8000 per
sq mi). Jackrabbits may carry TULAREMIA, a bacterial disease that
can be fatal to humans.
Ten well-established varieties of the domesticated rabbit
are derived from the species Oryctolagus cuniculus, a
wild rabbit native to Europe and Africa. The varieties are Angora, Belgian,
Dutch, Himalayan, Iop, Siberian, Patagonian, silver-tip, Polish,
and Flemish. The domesticated rabbit has extremely diverse characteristics,
varying in color through every grade, shade, and mixture, from pure white
to all black; in coat from very short to long, silky hair capable
of being woven; and in style of ears from the prick ear, erect,
small and almost as stiff as metal, to the floppy, broad, soft-skinned
lopped ear, which hangs to the ground. Domestic rabbits warn one
another of danger by thumping on the ground with their hind feet.
They are bred as pets, for genetic studies, for laboratory experimentation,
and for their furs; domestic rabbits’ furs are sold under
the trade names of arctic seal, clipped seal, and lapin.
A significant instance of the rapid distribution of rabbits
can be found in the present abundance of rabbits in Australia and
New Zealand. Into the latter of these countries, seven rabbits were
first turned out near Invercargill, apparently about 1860. They
soon spread to both countries and multiplied so rapidly that rabbit control
became a serious problem. In Australia a virus deadly only to true
rabbits was developed, and in 1951 decimation of the pest began
through the artificial promotion of this virus infection, known
as myxomatosis. The disease spread to Europe, killing rabbits in
Great Britain, Belgium, and France, where the animal serves useful
purposes. In Australia the project met with success only in areas
with sufficient water to serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes,
which transmit the virus.