Lepus capensis (*)
Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Lagomorpha
Familia: Leporidae
Genus: Lepus
Species: Lepus capensis
Subspecies: L. c. aegyptius – L. c. aquilo – L. c. arabicus – L. c. atlanticus – L. c. capensis – L. c. carpi – L. c. granti – L. c. hawkeri – L. c. isabellinus – L. c. schlumbergeri – L. c. sinaiticus – L. c. whitakeri
Name
Lepus capensis Linnaeus, 1758
Type locality: Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
References
Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiæ: impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. i–ii, 1–824 pp DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542: 58. Open access Reference page.
Lepus capensis in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Vlakhaas
aragonés: Llebre africana
العربية: قواع صحراوي
brezhoneg: Gad ar C'hab
català: Llebre del Cap
Deutsch: Kaphase
English: Cape Hare
Esperanto: Kaboleporo
español: Liebre del Cabo
français: Lièvre du Cap
עברית: ארנבת מצויה
magyar: Fokföldi nyúl
italiano: Lepre del Capo
кырык мары: Кап морен
Malti: Liebru ta' Kap
Nederlands: Kaapse haas
português: Lebre-do-cabo
русский: Капский заяц
shqip: Lepuri i murrmë
svenska: Kaphare
中文: 草兔
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]
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]
Feeding
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.
Like other hares, they run fast. The only predator which is capable of outrunning them is the cheetah. All other predators are ambush and/or opportunistic hunters; examples of these are leopards, caracals, and black-backed jackals.
Breeding
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. The Cape hare is no exception in this regard.
Relationship with humans
An example of an ancient Egyptian mummified Lepus capensis has been recorded in a tomb near Dendera.[5] The egyptian god Wenet was a cape hare.
Taxonomy
Currently, 12 subspecies are recognised:[6]
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
Johnston, C.H.; Robinson, T.J.; Child, M.F.; Relton, C. (2019). "Lepus capensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T41277A45186750. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41277A45186750.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis (in Latin). Vol. I (10th revised ed.). Holmiae: (Laurentii Salvii). p. 58 – via The Internet Archive.
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. PMC 6972951. PMID 31073237.
Aerts, R. (2019). "Forest and woodland vegetation in the highlands of Dogu'a Tembien". In Nyssen J.; Jacob, M.; Frankl, A. (eds.). Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains: The Dogu'a Tembien District. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 9783030049546.
Gautier, Achilles (2005). "Animal Mummies and Remains from the Necropolis of Elkab (Upper Egypt)". archaeofauna. 14: 139–170. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
Hoffman, R.S.; Smith, A.T. (2005). "Order Lagomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). 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.
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