The black-tailed hare [1] [2] , or the California hare [2] ( lat. Lepus californicus ) is the most common hare species that lives in the western United States and in Mexico.
| Black-tailed hare |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Squadron : | Euarchontoglires |
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| International scientific name |
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Lepus californicus JE Gray , 1837 |
| Area |
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| Security status |
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Least ConcernedIUCN 3.1 Least Concern : 41276 |
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Content
The black-tailed hare has long ears and long powerful hind legs. It reaches a length of 47 to 63 cm, weight is from 1.5 to 3 kg. Females are slightly larger than males. In general, sexual dimorphism is not expressed. The tail is 5 to 11 cm long. The ears are 10 to 13 cm long, but are extremely wide. It is possible that such incredibly developed auricles are one of the devices for regulating body temperature in a dry, hot climate: a large surface allows you to quickly waste excessive heat, without perspiration, which would lead to the loss of precious moisture [3] .
The coat color of the upper body is gray-brown, the belly is whitish. The hare has a black stripe on its back, its tail is black.
Black-tailed hare is the most common hare species in the western United States and Mexico. It lives in dry landscapes, semi-deserts, steppes and prairies at an altitude of up to 3700 m above sea level.
Active in the predawn time and at night. In the afternoon hides in the shade of bushes. They lead a solitary lifestyle, protecting themselves from predators, primarily with their disguise and speeds from 50 to 60 km / h. In addition, hares are able to jump from a standing position to a distance of 6 m.
Nutrition consists of herbs and green parts of plants, as well as branches and bark of trees and cacti. At the same time, animals eat non-stop, as they have a very great need for plant food. The need for water is very small, animals get all the necessary water from food.
The female gives birth three to four times a year after 41–47 days of pregnancy from one to six cubs, most often from 3 to 4. Cubs are born already fully formed and are able to pinch grass from the first birthdays [3] . The female takes care of the younger generation from about 3 to 4 days, and then leaves the cubs.
In captivity, the life expectancy of hares is from 5 to 6 years, however, in nature they die due to diseases, predators and for other reasons much earlier.
- ↑ Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia. "Mammals" Prince. 2 = The New Encyclopedia of Mammals / Ed. D. MacDonald . - M .: Omega, 2007 .-- S. 440. - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-465-01346-8 .
- ↑ 1 2 Sokolov V.E. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names. Mammals Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M .: Rus. lang., 1984. - S. 205. - 10,000 copies.
- ↑ 1 2 Large Atlas of animals / per. with ital. L.V. Zoloeva. - M .: Astrel, AST, 2001 .-- S. 182. - 256 p. - ISBN 5-17-005253-7 . - ISBN 5-271-01295-6 .
- Troy L. Best: Lepus californicus. Mammalian Species. 530, 1996, S. 1-10 [1]
