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Leporidae

Family of lagomorphs From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leporidae
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Leporidae (/ləˈpɔːrɪdiː, -daɪ/) is the family of rabbits and hares (Lepus), containing over 70 species of extant mammals in all. Together with the pikas, the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order Lagomorpha. Leporidae differ from pikas in that they have short, furry tails and elongated ears and hind legs.

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Skeleton of Alaskan Hare on display at the Museum of Osteology

The common name rabbit usually applies to all genera in the family except Lepus, while members of the genus Lepus (comprising nearly half the species) are usually called hares. Like most common names, however, the distinction does not match current taxonomy completely; jackrabbits are members of Lepus, and members of the genera Pronolagus and Caprolagus are sometimes called hares.[citation needed]

Various countries across all continents except Antarctica and Australia have indigenous species of Leporidae. Furthermore, rabbits, most significantly the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, also have been introduced to most of Oceania and to many other islands, where they pose serious ecological and commercial threats.[citation needed]

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Characteristics

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Further information: Cecotrope

Leporids are small to moderately sized mammals, adapted for rapid movement. They have long hind legs, with four toes on each foot, and shorter fore legs, with five toes each. The soles of their feet are hairy, to improve grip while running, and they have strong claws on all of their toes. Leporids also have distinctive, elongated and mobile ears, and they have an excellent sense of hearing. Their eyes are large, and their night vision is good, reflecting their primarily nocturnal or crepuscular mode of living.[2]

Leporids are all roughly the same shape and fall within a small range of sizes with short tails, ranging in overall length from the 21 cm (8 in) long Tres Marias cottontail to the 76 cm (30 in) long desert hare. Female leporids are almost always larger than males, which is unusual among terrestrial mammals.[3] It has been noted that the humerus bones of all leporids are extremely similar.[4]

Both rabbits and hares are almost exclusively herbivorous (although some Lepus species are known to eat carrion),[5][6] feeding primarily on grasses and herbs, although they also eat leaves, fruit, and seeds of various kinds. Easily digestible food is processed in the gastrointestinal tract and expelled as regular feces. But in order to get nutrients out of hard to digest fiber, leporids ferment fiber in the cecum (in the GI tract) and then expel the contents as cecotropes, which are reingested (cecotrophy). The cecotropes are then absorbed in the small intestine to utilize the nutrients.[7]

The dental formula of leporids is: 2.0.3.31.0.2.3 = 28.[8] Many leporids are classified by the characteristics of their teeth; for instance, the Amami rabbit's generic name, Pentalagus, is derived from the fact that it is often found without its third upper molar,[9] thus having 5 (penta-) total molars.[10]

They have adapted to a remarkable range of habitats, from desert to tundra, forests, mountains, and swampland. Some rabbits dig burrows for shelter, the exact form of which varies between species. Other rabbits do not dig burrows but use forms, usually under a bush. Hares rarely dig shelters of any kind, instead using forms, and their bodies are more suited to fast running than to burrowing.[2] Their adapatability has led to some species becoming invasive species upon introduction to exotic regions. Twelve species have been introduced outside of their native range, and three are considered to be invasive: the European rabbit, the European hare, and the eastern cottontail.[11]

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Reproduction

Leporids are typically polygynandrous, and some have highly developed social systems. Their social hierarchies determine which males mate. Rabbits are induced ovulators (ovulate during mating).[12]

Species nesting below ground tend to have lower predation rates and have larger litters.[13]

The gestation period in leporids varies from around 28 to 50 days, and is generally longer in the hares. This is in part because young hares (called leverets) are born precocial (eyes and ears open, fully furred), while young rabbits (called kits) are born altricial (eyes and ears closed, no fur).[2] Higher latitudes correspond to shorter gestation periods.[14] Leporids can have several litters a year, which can cause their population to expand dramatically in a short time when resources are plentiful. Gestation period and litter size correspond to predation rates as well.

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Evolution

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The oldest known leporid species date from the late Eocene, by which time the family was already present in both North America and Asia. Over the course of their evolution, this group has become increasingly adapted to lives of fast running and leaping. For example, Palaeolagus, an extinct rabbit from the Oligocene of North America, had shorter hind legs than modern forms (indicating it ran rather than hopped) though it was in most other respects quite rabbit-like.[15] The last common ancestor of the leporids likely had features not present in the last common ancestor of the lagomorphs, according to a 2022 study of the extant and extinct known lagomorphs—an intercranial joint and a facial tilt, specifically.[16] Two as yet unnamed fossil finds—dated ~48 Ma (48 million yr) ago (from China) and ~53 Ma (53 million yr) ago (India)—while primitive, display the characteristic leporid ankle, thus pushing the divergence of Ochotonidae and Leporidae yet further into the past.[17]

The cladogram is from Matthee et al., 2004, based on nuclear and mitochondrial gene analysis.[18]

Leporidae

Nesolagus (striped rabbits)

Poelagus (Bunyoro rabbit)

Pronolagus (red rock hares)

Romerolagus (volcano rabbit)

Sylvilagus (cottontails)

Brachylagus (pygmy rabbit)

Caprolagus (hispid hare)

Oryctolagus (European rabbit)

Bunolagus (riverine rabbit)

Pentalagus (Amami rabbit)

Lepus (hares)

Classification

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Main article: List of leporids

Family Leporidae (rabbits and hares):[1]

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Predation

Predators of rabbits and hares include raccoons, snakes, eagles, canids, cats, mustelids, owls and hawks. Animals that eat roadkill rabbits include vultures and buzzards.

See also

References

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