| Hispid hare | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chitwan National Park, Nepal | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Genus: | Caprolagus Blyth, 1845 |
| Species: | C. hispidus |
| Binomial name | |
| Caprolagus hispidus (J. T. Pearson inHorsfield, 1840) | |
 | |
| Hispid hare range | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Lepus hispidusJ. T. Pearson inHorsfield, 1840 | |
Thehispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus), also known as theAssam rabbit andbristly rabbit, is aspecies ofrabbit native toSouth Asia. It is theonly species in thegenusCaprolagus. Named for its bristly fur coat, the hispid hare is a rabbit with dark-brown fur and a large nose. It has small ears compared to theIndian hare, alagomorph thatoccurs in the same regions as the hispid hare.
Once thought to beextinct, the hispid hare was rediscovered inAssam in 1971 and has been found in isolated populations acrossIndia,Nepal, andBangladesh. Its historic range extended along the southern foothills of theHimalayas, and a related fossil in the genusCaprolagus has been found as far away as Indonesia. Today, the species' habitat is much smaller and is highlyfragmented. The region it occupies is estimated to be less than 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi), extending over an area of 5,000 to 20,000 square kilometres (1,900 to 7,700 sq mi). Populations experienced a continuing decline due toloss of suitable habitat via increasingagriculture,flood control, and human development, particularly burning and collection ofthatch grasses. It has been listed asEndangered on theIUCN Red List since 1986. The rabbit is known to occur in severalnational parks.Breeding in captivity has been described as "very difficult".Conservation efforts focus on community education and further study.
The hispid hare was placed in the genusLepus, the hares, on its first description by the British surgeonJohn Thomas Pearson in 1839, where it was given thescientific nameLepus hispidus. This description was first published in the Calcutta Sporting Magazine, but the first formal account was published byThomas Horsfield a year later in theProceedings of the Zoological Society.[3] Pearson noted that the ears of the hispid hare were "so short as not to extend past the fur on its head", but later authors assumed this to be a mistake.[4] Thespecies namehispidus, as well as the common name "hispid hare", refers to the coarseness of the fur[4] as the term describes something as being rough or covered in stiff hairs.[5] English zoologistEdward Blyth gave the hispid hare a distinct genus,Caprolagus, in 1845 due to its unusualmorphology, though he did not provide a reasoning for the name chosen. He noted in particular the rough fur (unusual for a hare or rabbit), large and robust skull, diminished eyes and whiskers, strong claws, and equally-proportioned limbs.[4] Later studies in the 21st century confirmed its place as theonly species within its genus;[6] the closely related[7]extinct species†Pliosiwalagus sivalensis was once considered to be a member ofCaprolagus, but was reclassified in 2002.[8] Thetype specimen of the hispid hare was taken from the "base of the Boutan [= Bhutan] mountains" inAssam, India, and was described by Blyth in his 1845 description of the new genus,[9] but it is unclear if this specimen exists in any collection today.[10]
Several fossil species have been described that belong in the genusCaprolagus.C. netscheri was described by German zoologistHermann Schlegel in 1880, but this species was later reclassified as the livingSumatran striped rabbit. Swiss zoologistCharles Immanuel Forsyth Major described the species†C. sivalensis in 1899 based on specimens found in theSivalik Hills, but this species was later placed in the genusPliosiwalagus.[8] Chinese paleontologistYang Zhongjian described another species,†C. brachypus, in 1927. However, several later authors disagreed on the placement of this species; it is no longer regarded as a member ofCaprolagus, and has been regarded as belonging in the generaAlilepus,[11]Hypolagus,[12] and currentlySericolagus.[13][14] Fossils of one extinct species,†C. lapis, which was described by Dutch paleontologistDirk Albert Hooijer in 1964 and is thought to have lived in Indonesia,[13] may date back3.6 million years[15] and is the only current fossilCaprolagus.[13] No fossils are known that are assigned to the living hispid hare,C. hispidus, but one specimen was found in 2011 from thePothohar Plateau that may correspond to it or the generaPliopentalagus orPliosiwalagus.[16]
Nosubspecies of the hispid hare are known.[6] The followingcladogram shows the relationships betweenCaprolagus, other rabbits, and hares, based on aphylogenetic tree from Leandro Iraçabal and colleagues published in 2024:[17]
| Leporid phylogeny minus rogue taxa with insufficient information (Bunolagus,Oryctolagus, some species inSylvilagus)[17] |
The hispid hare has a harsh and bristly fur coat. The coat is dark brown on the back due to a mixture of black and brown hairs; brown on the chest and whitish on theabdomen.[18] The tail is brown and ranges from 25 to 38 millimetres (0.98 to 1.50 inches) long. The ears of the adult are 54 to 61 mm (2.1 to 2.4 in) long.[6] In body weight, males range from 1,810 to 2,610 grams (64 to 92 ounces) with a mean of 2,248 g (79.3 oz). Females weigh on average 2,518 g (88.8 oz); a heavily pregnant female weighing 3,210 g (113 oz) was included in this average.[18]
In terms of its skeletal features, thefrontal bones of the hispid hare are very wide. There is no clear notch in front of thepostorbital processes (bone structures above the eye sockets).[19] At its greatest length, the skull has been measured to be 76 millimetres (3.0 in).[6]
Compared to otherlagomorphs, the hispid hare has a very large nose. Its short ears and completely brown tail can be used as indicators to distinguish it from the rufous-tailed hare (Lepus nigricollis ruficaudatus), a subspecies of theIndian hare thatoccupies the same regions as the hispid hare but has longer ears and a white underside on its tail.[6]
The historical range of the hispid hare extended fromUttar Pradesh through southernNepal, the northern region ofWest Bengal toAssam and intoBangladesh.[18] Today, itsdistribution is considered to be limited to northernIndia, southern Nepal, and easternBhutan. Its presence inKanha National Park inMadhya Pradesh is only known from fecal pellet analysis, and has not been confirmed by any sightings.[6] It was also thought to occur inD'Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary inArunachal Pradesh, but little evidence of the hispid hare has been found, with the Indian hare being more common in the area.[20]
The hispid hare lives in successional tallgrasslands—regions dominated byelephant grass—which provide cover and food.[6] These grassland habitats are highlyfragmented.[21] It takes refuge in marshy areas or grasses adjacent to river banks during the dry season, when grassy areas are susceptible to burning.[18] However, populations that take shelter near rivers are threatened by flooding during amonsoon,[6] and the species tends towards dry grasslands more than wet regions with dense grasses.[22]
The hispid hare iscrepuscular, being most active at dawn and dusk. Its average litter size is small,[18] with each litter producing two to three young.[6] Gestation lasts 40 days, and on average 3 litters are produced annually.[23] It issympatric with thepygmy hog,[24] abiological indicator for the health of its habitat. The hispid hare's predators includebirds of prey,cats,civets, jackals, weasels, and foxes.[25] It maintains a relatively smallhome range of .0042 square kilometres (0.0016 sq mi) on average.[23] The home ranges of male and female rabbits may overlap; females have smaller home ranges than those of males.[6]
The hispid hare isherbivorous, and eats grasses and leaves within its habitat. It preferskans grass,cogongrass,[26]Saccharum narenga,[27] and grasses in the genusNarenga, depending on the availability of each.[28][6] At least 23 different plant species are eaten by the hispid hare, including the grassesDesmostachya bipinnata andCynodon dactylon.[29] When feeding on the shoots and roots of plants used forthatching, the hispid hare breaks the plant at its base and strips its outer sheath before consumption. Hispid hares likely obtain much of their water through consuming grasses, which during cold seasons can have a water content of over 60%.[28]
Grassland habitats of the hispid hare are threatened due toovergrazing by cattle.[24] Additionally, the hispid hare is threatened by the cutting and burning of vegetation in its habitat. The species' preference for dry ground and less dense grass leads to activity and population declines in periods of high rainfall and intense vegetationsuccession or growth. Grassland burning is significantly more threatening to the species during the breeding season. Changes to the grassland habitat in theTerai Arc Landscape due to burning, succession,habitat fragmentation and collection of grasses for thatch[30] has been especially detrimental to herbivores in the region, including the hispid hare.[22][30] Thatch harvesting has also been noted as an unsustainable and habitat-damaging practice in the hispid hare-inhabitedManas National Park.[27]
The hispid hare is known to occur in severalprotected areas. Prior to its rediscovery inBornadi Wildlife Sanctuary alongside the pygmy hog in 1971, it was thought to be extinct.[24] Sightings of the rabbit have occurred sporadically since then across its distribution, though the population is in decline due tohabitat loss.[31] The hispid hare is known to be present in the grasslands ofShuklaphanta National Park[32] based on pellet records, but its population density is very low (from 0.182 to 0.221 individuals perhectare), comparable only with that ofJaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary (0.087 per hectare).[33] In January 2016, a hispid hare was recorded inChitwan National Park for the first time since 1984.[34] Development of controlled burning systems that do not overlap with the breeding season of the hispid hare has been recommended as a potential conservation measure.[22] Additionally, recommendations have been made to continue studying the distribution and ecological significance of the species and to educate communities on its endangered status.[25] Efforts to breed the hispid hare in captivity have been described as "very difficult".[21]
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Authority control databases: National |
|---|
