Cape hare

Short description: Species of mammal

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Cape hare in hieroglyphs

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"Cape/desert hare" in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs

Cape hare

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]

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

L. capensis

Binomial name
Lepus capensis

Linnaeus, 1758

Geographic range

The Cape hare (Lepus capensis), also called the brown hare and the desert hare, is a hare native to Africa and Arabia extending into India.[1]

## Contents

* 1 Taxonomy
* 2 Description
* 3 Distribution and habitat
* 4 Behavior and ecology
* 5 Gallery
* 6 Relationship with humans
* 7 Taxonomy
* 8 References

## Taxonomy

The Cape hare was one of the many mammal species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, where it was given the binomial name of Lepus capensis.[2]

The taxon is part of a species complex. Lepus tolai and Lepus tibetanus were moved out based on geographic distribution and molecular characteristics. The current remaining grouping of Lepus capensis sensu lato remains paraphyletic.[3]

## Description

The Cape hare is a typical hare, with well-developed legs for leaping and running, and large eyes and ears to look for threats from its environment. Usually, a white ring surrounds the eye. It has a fine, soft coat which varies in colour from light brown to reddish to sandy grey. Unusually among mammals, the female is larger than the male, an example of sexual dimorphism.

## Distribution and habitat

The Cape hare inhabits macchia-type vegetation, grassland, bushveld, the Sahara Desert and semi-desert areas. It is also common in parts of the Ethiopian highlands, such as Degua Tembien.[4]

## Behavior and ecology

A Cape hare caught by an Asiatic cheetah in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, Iran.

The Cape hare is a nocturnal herbivore, feeding on grass and various shrubs. Coprophagy, the consumption of an organism's own fecal material to double the amount of time food spends in the digestive tract, is a common behaviour amongst rabbits and hares. This habit allows the animal to extract the maximum nourishment from its diet, and microbes present in the pellets also provide nutrients.

The only predator which is capable of outrunning Cape hare is the cheetah. All other predators are ambush and/or opportunistic hunters; examples of these are leopards, caracals, and black-backed jackals.

After a 42-day-long pregnancy, the female gives birth to from one to three young, termed leverets, per litter and may have as many as 4 litters per year. A characteristic of hares which differentiates them from rabbits is that the young are born precocial; that is, the young are born with eyes open and are able to move about shortly after birth.

One Cape hare kept in captivity lived to nearly 9 years, but their longevity in the wild is uncertain.[5]

## Gallery

* Cape hare (Lepus capensis arabicus) photographed at Watba Camel Race Track, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

* Cape hare hieroglyph depicted at the Temple of Edfu

## Relationship with humans

An example of an ancient Egyptian mummified Lepus capensis has been recorded in a tomb near Dendera.[6] The Egyptian god Wenet was a cape hare.

## Taxonomy

Currently, 12 subspecies are recognised:[7]

* Lepus capensis capensis
* Lepus capensis aquilo
* Lepus capensis carpi
* Lepus capensis granti
* Lepus capensis aegyptius
* Lepus capensis hawkeri
* Lepus capensis isabellinus
* Lepus capensis sinaiticus
* Lepus capensis arabicus
* Lepus capensis atlanticus
* Lepus capensis whitakeri
* Lepus capensis schlumbergi

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Johnston, C.H.; Robinson, T.J.; Child, M.F.; Relton, C. (2019). "Lepus capensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41277A45186750.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41277/45186750. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl (1758) (in la). Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. I (10th revised ed.). Holmiae: (Laurentii Salvii). p. 58. https://archive.org/details/carolilinnaeisy00gesegoog/page/n67/mode/1up?view=theater.
3. ↑ Lado, S; Alves, PC; Islam, MZ; Brito, JC; Melo-Ferreira, J (November 2019). "The evolutionary history of the Cape hare (Lepus capensis sensu lato): insights for systematics and biogeography.". Heredity 123 (5): 634–646. doi:10.1038/s41437-019-0229-8. PMID 31073237. Bibcode: 2019Hered.123..634L.
4. ↑ Aerts, R. (2019). "Forest and woodland vegetation in the highlands of Dogu'a Tembien". Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains: The Dogu'a Tembien District. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
5. ↑ "Cape hare (Lepus capensis) longevity, ageing, and life history". https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Lepus_capensis.
6. ↑ Gautier, Achilles (2005). "Animal Mummies and Remains from the Necropolis of Elkab (Upper Egypt)". Archaeofauna 14: 139–170. https://revistas.uam.es/archaeofauna/article/view/7441. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
7. ↑ Hoffman, R.S.; Smith, A.T. (2005). "Order Lagomorpha". in Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 196–197. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?id=13500139.

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