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Order Lagomorpha

Family Leporidae. Cape Hare & Scrub Hare.

Description

Both range from brown-grey to almost grey (particularly Cape) with black flecking or pencilling. The Scrub Hare has white underparts, Whereas the Cape Hare has usually only a white abdomen in the South, while elsewhere it is white throughout.
The face may be lighter than the upperparts.
The colour of hair on the nape of the neck behind the ears is brownish-pink to grey in the Cape Hare and reddish-brown in the scrub hare.
A white spot on the forehead is often present on the scrub hare, and occasionally on the Cape Hare.

Status

Both are common to very common over much of their ranges.

Habitat

Although there is some overlap, the Cape Hare prefers drier, open areas, whereas the Scrub hare favours woodland and bush cover with grass and in the South it is commonly associated with cultivation.

Behaviour

Nocturnal, crepuscular and solitary, but both can reach high densities.

Food

Graze and to a lesser extent browse.

Reproduction

Births occur throughout the year, up to four litters per annum in Cape Hare.
The gestation period is about 42 days when 1 to 3 leverets are born.
Young are well developed at birth.

This young Scrub Hare was found sitting in the middle of the S65 in Feb this year.

Large

Large

Thank you Elsa . Here a picture of one taken a couple years ago near Satara .

Dumb question - I will never know if I didnt ask...

Are they so genetically different as to be considered seperate species, or could they be considered different sub-species(races) of the same animal?

Just a question...

I can't see a scrub hare thread on the mammal index ...





An interesting sighting - pictures borrowed from Phalaborwa Gate Sightings thread - taken by Lourens Botha , guide at Phalaborwa gate .

I always see them on night drives or early mornings

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Hi Ossendryver, I agree they are seen fairly often on night drives and in the early morning but I find them difficult to photograph because they are often on the move and normally when seen the lighting is not the best for photography. I only have a couple of photos on file that are worthwhile printing.

Saw this one near Letaba in November in the last afternoon. During the trip we saw 3 of them during the day, on all my other trips I only saw them at night

At the Gomondwane water-hole on the H4-2. Seen before but not had the time to photo,got a quick one off for this. Could not find a hare topic.

Nannie I hope there come some good "Hare" photo's out of this thread.

There is already another thread under Scrub Hare , started in May 2010by Elsa ,

Don't know how to do the link thing , maybe a mod can help

Scrub Hare , thanks Okie

And one seen this May near Shingwedzi: