Leporidae
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{{Taxobox
| name = Rabbits and hares<ref name=MSW>{{MSW3 Hoffmann|pages=194–211}}</ref>
| fossil_range = Late [[Eocene]] - Recent
| image = Arctic_Hare.jpg
| image_width = 230px
| image_caption = [[Arctic Hare]] (''Lepus arcticus'')
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[Mammal]]ia
| ordo = [[Lagomorpha]]
| familia = '''Leporidae'''
| familia_authority = [[Johann Fischer von Waldheim|Fischer de Waldheim]], 1817
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision =
''[[Pentalagus]]''<br />
''[[Bunolagus]]''<br />
''[[Nesolagus]]''<br />
''[[Romerolagus]]''<br />
''[[Brachylagus]]''<br />
''[[Sylvilagus]]''<br />
''[[Oryctolagus]]''<br />
''[[Poelagus]]''<br />
''[[Caprolagus]]''<br />
''[[Pronolagus]]''<br />
''[[Hare|Lepus]]''
}}
'''Leporids''' are the approximately 50 species of [[rabbit]]s and [[hare]]s which form the [[family (biology)|family]] '''Leporidae'''. The leporids, together with the [[pika]]s, constitute the [[Lagomorpha]] [[order (biology)|order]] of [[mammal]]s. Leporids differ from pikas in having short furry tails, and elongated ears and hind legs. The name ''leporid'' is derived from Latin ''leporis'', genitive of ''lepus'', a hare.
Members of all genera except ''[[Hare|Lepus]]'' are usually referred to as rabbits, while members of ''Lepus'' (which accounts for almost half the species) are usually called hares. However the distinction between these two common names does not map completely into current taxonomy, since [[hare|jackrabbit]]s are members of ''Lepus'', and members of the genera ''[[Pronolagus]]'' and ''[[Caprolagus]]'' are sometimes called hares.
Leporids are native across the world except [[Antarctica]], and in [[Oceania]] where their introduction is an important threat for the native [[mammals]] in [[Australia]].
==Characteristics==
Leporids are small to moderately sized [[mammal]]s, 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.<ref name=EoM>{{cite book |editor=Macdonald, D.|author= Chapman, J. & Schneider, E.|year=1984 |title= The Encyclopedia of Mammals|publisher= Facts on File|location=New York|pages= 714–719|isbn= 0-87196-871-1}}</ref>
Leporids range in size from the [[Pygmy Rabbit]] (''Brachylagus idahoensis''), with a head and body length of 25–29 cm, and a weight of around 300 grams, to the [[European Hare]] (''Lepus europaeus''), which is 50–76 cm in head-body length, and weighs from 2.5 to 5 kilograms.
Both rabbits and hares are almost exclusively [[herbivore|herbivorous]] (with exceptions among the members of ''Lepus''),<ref>{{Citation
| last = Best
| first = Troy L.
| last2 = Henry
| first2 = Travis Hill
| publication-date = June 2, 1994
| title = Lepus arcticus
| periodical = Mammalian Species
| issue = 457
| pages = 1–9
| issn = 00763519
| doi = 10.2307/3504088
| oclc = 46381503
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title = Snowshoe Hare
| work = eNature: FieldGuides
| publisher = eNature.com
| date = 2007
| url = http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?curFamilyID=556&curGroupID=5&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=2
| format = HTML
| accessdate = 2008-03-23
}}</ref> feeding primarily on [[grass]]es and herbs, although they also eat leaves, fruit, and seeds of various kinds. They pass food through their digestive systems twice, first expelling it as soft green [[feces]], which they then re-ingest, eventually producing hard, dark fecal pellets. Like [[rodent]]s, they have powerful front [[incisor]] teeth, but they also have a smaller second pair of incisors to either side of the main teeth in the upper jaw, and the structure is different from that of rodent incisors. Also like rodents, leporids lack any [[canine (tooth)|canine]] teeth, but they do have more cheek teeth than rodents do. The [[dentition|dental formula]] of most, though not all, leporids is:{{dentition2|2.0.3.3|1.0.2.3}}
They have adapted to a remarkable range of habitats, from [[desert]] to [[tundra]], [[forest]]s, [[mountain]]s, and [[swamp]]land. Rabbits generally dig permanent [[burrow]]s for shelter, the exact form of which varies between species. In contrast, hares rarely dig shelters of any kind, and their bodies are more suited to fast running than to burrowing<ref name=EoM/>.
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, or leverets, are born fully developed, with fur and open eyes, while rabbit kits are naked and blind at birth, having the security of the burrow to protect them<ref name=EoM/>. Leporids can have several litters a year, which can cause their population to expand dramatically in a short period of time when resources are plentiful.
==Evolution==
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<ref name=MamEv>{{cite book |author= Savage, RJG, & Long, MR|year=1986 |title= Mammal Evolution: an illustrated guide|publisher= Facts on File|location=New York|pages= 128–129|isbn= 0-8160-1194-X}}</ref>. Two as yet unnamed fossil finds—dated ~48 Ma (from [[China]]) and ~53 Ma ([[India]])—while primitive, display the characteristic leporid ankle, thus pushing the divergence of [[Ochotonidae]] and Leporidae yet further into the past.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Handwerk
| first = Brian
| title = Easter Surprise: World's Oldest Rabbit Bones Found
| work = National Geographic News
| publisher = National Geographic Society
| date = 2008-03-21
| url = http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/03/080321-rabbit-bones.html
| accessdate = 2008-03-23
}}</ref>
==Classification==
'''Family Leporidae''':<ref name=MSW/> [[rabbit]]s and [[hare]]s
* Genus ''[[Pentalagus]]''
** [[Amami Rabbit|Amami Rabbit/Ryūkyū Rabbit]], ''Pentalagus furnessi''
* Genus ''[[Bunolagus]]''
** [[Riverine Rabbit]], ''Bunolagus monticularis''
* Genus ''[[Nesolagus]]''
** [[Sumatran Striped Rabbit]], ''Nesolagus netscheri''
** [[Annamite Striped Rabbit]], ''Nesolagus timminsi''
* Genus ''[[Romerolagus]]''
** [[Volcano Rabbit]], ''Romerolagus diazi''
* Genus ''[[Brachylagus]]''
** [[Pygmy Rabbit]], ''Brachylagus idahoensis''
* Genus ''[[Sylvilagus]]''
** Subgenus ''Tapeti''
*** [[Swamp Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus aquaticus''
*** [[Tapeti]], ''Sylvilagus brasiliensis''
*** [[Dice's Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus dicei''
*** [[Omilteme Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus insonus''
*** [[Marsh Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus palustris''
*** [[Venezuelan Lowland Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus varynaensis''
** Subgenus ''Sylvilagus''
*** [[Desert Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus audubonii''
*** [[Manzano Mountain Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus cognatus''
*** [[Mexican Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus cunicularis''
*** [[Eastern Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus floridanus''
*** [[Tres Marias Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus graysoni''
*** [[Mountain Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus nuttallii''
*** [[Appalachian Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus obscurus''
*** [[Robust Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus robustus''
** Subgenus ''Microlagus''
*** [[Brush Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus bachmani''
*** [[San Jose Brush Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus mansuetus''
* Genus ''[[Oryctolagus]]''
** [[European Rabbit]], ''Oryctolagus cuniculus''
* Genus ''[[Poelagus]]''
** [[Bunyoro Rabbit]], ''Poelagus marjorita''
* Genus ''[[Pronolagus]]''
** [[Natal Red Rock Hare]], ''Pronolagus crassicaudatus''
** [[Jameson's Red Rock Hare]], ''Pronolagus randensis''
** [[Smith's Red Rock Hare]], ''Pronolagus rupestris''
* Genus ''[[Caprolagus]]''
** [[Hispid Hare]], ''Caprolagus hispidus''
* Genus ''[[Hare|Lepus]]''
** Subgenus ''Macrotolagus''
*** [[Antelope Jackrabbit]], ''Lepus alleni''
** Subgenus ''Poecilolagus''
*** [[Snowshoe Hare]], ''Lepus americanus''
** Subgenus ''Lepus''
*** [[Arctic Hare]], ''Lepus arcticus''
*** [[Alaskan Hare]], ''Lepus othus''
*** [[Mountain Hare]], ''Lepus timidus''
** Subgenus ''Proeulagus''
*** [[Black-tailed Jackrabbit]], ''Lepus californicus''
*** [[White-sided Jackrabbit]], ''Lepus callotis''
*** [[Cape Hare]], ''Lepus capensis''
*** [[Tehuantepec Jackrabbit]], ''Lepus flavigularis''
*** [[Black Jackrabbit]], ''Lepus insularis''
*** [[Scrub Hare]], ''Lepus saxatilis''
*** [[Desert Hare]], ''Lepus tibetanus''
*** [[Tolai Hare]], ''Lepus tolai''
** Subgenus ''Eulagos''
*** [[Broom Hare]], ''Lepus castrovieoi''
*** [[Yunnan Hare]], ''Lepus comus''
*** [[Korean Hare]], ''Lepus coreanus''
*** [[Corsican Hare]], ''Lepus corsicanus''
*** [[European Hare]], ''Lepus europaeus''
*** [[Granada Hare]], ''Lepus granatensis''
*** [[Manchurian Hare]], ''Lepus mandschuricus''
*** [[Woolly Hare]], ''Lepus oiostolus''
*** [[Ethiopian Highland Hare]], ''Lepus starcki''
*** [[White-tailed Jackrabbit]], ''Lepus townsendii''
** Subgenus ''Sabanalagus''
*** [[Ethiopian Hare]], ''Lepus fagani''
*** [[African Savanna Hare]], ''Lepus microtis''
** Subgenus ''Indolagus''
*** [[Hainan Hare]], ''Lepus hainanus''
*** [[Indian Hare]], ''Lepus nigricollis''
*** [[Burmese Hare]], ''Lepus peguensis''
** Subgenus ''Sinolagus''
*** [[Chinese Hare]], ''Lepus sinensis''
** Subgenus ''Tarimolagus''
*** [[Yarkand Hare]], ''Lepus yarkandensis''
** Subgenus ''[[incertae sedis]]''
*** [[Japanese Hare]], ''Lepus brachyurus''
*** [[Abyssinian Hare]], ''Lepus habessinicus''
==See also==
* [[Cecotrope]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Lagomorpha|L.}}
[[Category:Rabbits and hares]]
[[zh-min-nan:Thò͘-kho]]
[[ca:Leporidae]]
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[[cs:Zajícovití]]
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[[es:Leporidae]]
[[eu:Leporidae]]
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[[fr:Leporidae]]
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[[it:Leporidae]]
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[[ka:კურდღლისებრნი]]
[[hu:Nyúlfélék]]
[[pl:Zającowate]]
[[pt:Leporidae]]
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