Ochotonidae
| Ochotonidae | ||||||||||||
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American pika ( Ochotona princeps ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ochotonidae | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1897 |
The Ochotonidae ( called Pfeifhasen in German ) are a family from the order of the rabbit-like (Lagomorpha). The family currently only includes the genus of the pigeon hares ( Ochotona ), with around 30 species living in Asia and North America . Further genera of the Pfeifhasen have been known since the Oligocene and were previously distributed in numerous genera over a larger area.
Systematics
Pfeifhasen together with the hares form the order of the hare-like (Lagomorpha). The systematic position of this order was long controversial, the animals were often viewed as members of the rodents . A third family, Prolagidae, was formed by numerous fossil species and the Sardinian pigeon hare ( Prolagus sardus ), which became extinct at the turn of the 19th century . The animals got their name because of the high tones they emit as warning and recognition signals.
The recent genus Ochotona is divided into a total of around 30 living species. Further genera of the Pfeifhasen have been known since the Oligocene and were previously distributed in numerous genera over a larger area.
Web links
supporting documents
- ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Prolagus ( Memento of the original dated February 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
