Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas history and some interesting facts

Lagomorphs have two families: Leporidae (rabbits and hares) and Ochotonidae (pikas). Lagomorphs range in size from pikas, which are six inches in length and 3.5 ounces in weight, to hares which are almost twenty-eight inches in length and 10 pounds in weight. Most lagomorphs have coats that are brownish or reddish brown above and lighter brown to white below. There are color differences according to species, location, and season. Lagomorphs are well adapted to a herbivorous diet. Rabbits and hares are not known to store food, while pikas not only store food but also dry or cure vegetation for winter. Rabbits and pikas burrow or inhabit abandoned burrows, and hares shelter in natural depressions.

Physical Characteristics of Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas
Lagomorph incisor teeth are long and grow throughout life. They are extremely effective for severing plant stems and for gnawing on bark. Behind the long incisors is a tiny peglike incisor. There are no canine teeth. Cheek teeth, located further back in the jaw, also grow throughout the animal's life, wearing away as they grind abrasive vegetation. The upper tooth rows are more widely separated than the lower rows, and chewing is done with a transverse movement. Vegetation passes through the small intestine, which has a spiral valve, providing greater surface area for digestion. A large cecum is located at the point of attachment of the large intestine, which contains bacteria that aid in digestion. Lagomorphs have the ability to produce two types of fecal material, one that is wet and eaten again for further nutrient absorption, and one that is dry and discarded. The bones of the hind limb are fused where they move against the calcaneuni, resulting in increased leverage in locomotion. Lagomorphs are digitigrade, with five digits on the forefoot and five on the hind foot. Rabbits and hares have a rudimentary tail, while pikas have none at all. Folds of skin on the lips can meet behind the incisors so that gnawing can take place with the mouth cavity closed. Other flaps of skin are able to close the nostrils. The skull is peculiarly fenestrated. The ears are usually long. The testes are located in front of the penis rather than behind. Rabbits and hares usually vocalize only when frightened or injured. Pikas express themselves with a whistle or bark and a chattering call. Lagomorphs can yield two or more litters during each breeding season, with two or three litters common among hares and pikas and three to six among rabbits. Litter size ranges between two and eight. Young rabbits are altricial and are cared for in a nest. Hares are born in the open and are precocial, able to run soon after birth.

Destructive and Beneficial Lagomorphs
Lagomorphs can be vectors for disease, as well as pests to human agriculturists. Rabbits eat flowers and vegetables in spring and summer, causing problems in flowerbeds, gardens, and fields. In the fall and winter, they may damage and kill valuable woody plants. Lagomorphs are the dietary staple of many carnivorous mammals and birds, among them wolves, foxes, bobcats, weasels, predatory hawks, and owls. They are therefore an important link in the food chain.

Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas Facts

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Eutheria
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae (hares and rabbits), Ochotonidae (pikas)
Genera: Bunolagus (bushman hares), Caprolagus (hispid hares), Lepus (hares, twenty-one species), Oryctolagus (European rabbits), Nesolagus (Sumatran hares), Pentalagus (amami rabbits), Poelagus (Bunyoro rabbits), Pronolagus (red rock hares, three species), Romerolagus (volcano rabbits), Sylvilagus (cottontails, thirteen species); Ochontona (pikas, fourteen species) Geographical location: All continents except Australia and Antarctica; absent fromsouthern South America and most islands; especially diverse in North America and Eurasia, the only continents where pikas are found
Habitat: Range from tropical forest to arctic tundra
Gestational period: Rabbits, approximately twenty-eight days; hares, up to forty-seven days; pikas, approximately thirty days
Life span: In the wild, rarely more than nine months; up to fifteen years in captivity
Special anatomy: Flaps of skin able to close the nostrils; peculiarly fenestrated skull; long incisors that grow throughout life; generally long hind feet, with the hind legs strong and positioned for leaping; usually long ears; testes located in front of the penis rather than behind; lagomorphs produce two types of fecal material, one that is wet and eaten again for further nutrient absorption and one that is dry and discarded