Bush rabbit
| Bush rabbit | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Poelagus | ||||||||||||
| St. Leger , 1932 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Poelagus marjorita | ||||||||||||
| ( St. Leger , 1929) |
The bush rabbit ( Poelagus marjorita ) is a species of mammal from the rabbit family (Leporidae). The range of the species is limited to two regions in Africa .
features
The short ears, the short hind legs and the sharp claws are conspicuous in the physique. The rough fur is gray-brown on the upper side, the flanks are yellowish and the underside is white. Bush rabbits reach a head-trunk length of 44 to 50 centimeters and a weight of two to three kilograms.
distribution
The range of the species is limited to Africa . The species occurs in two demarcated areas. The larger is found in Uganda , southern Sudan , the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjacent areas, the smaller in western Angola .
Way of life
The habitats of this species are hilly grasslands, but also rocky areas. Bush rabbits are nocturnal and live in self-dug burrows. Their diet consists of grasses, flowers and leaves. Sometimes they also penetrate plantations.
After a five-week gestation period, the female gives birth to one or two young animals, which are initially naked and blind. They are nursed for around five weeks by the female, who is often pregnant again at the time of weaning. Life expectancy in the wild is estimated at a maximum of four years, due to numerous predators (including birds of prey , gorse cats and baboons ) it is in most cases far below.
Systematics
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Phylogenetic systematics of the rabbits according to Matthee et al. 2004
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The bush rabbit is assigned to the hares (Leporidae) as an independent species and monotypical genus . No subspecies are distinguished within the species. The species was first described in 1929 by J. St. Leger , who in 1932 also described the genus Poelagus and assigned the species to it as a type .
On the basis of molecular biological data, Conrad A. Matthee et al. In 2004 a cladogram was developed that shows the phylogenetic relationships of the genera within the rabbit family. According to this, the bush rabbit is compared to a taxon consisting of the African red rabbit ( Pronolagus ) and the striped rabbit ( Nesolagus ) in Southeast Asia as a sister species . Together this group forms the sister group to all other hares genera.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
Web links
- Poelagus marjorita inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.2. Posted by: K. Collins, Andrew T. Smith , 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b Poelagus marjorita in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2012.2. Posted by: K. Collins, Andrew T. Smith , 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ↑ a b c Conrad A. Matthee, Bettine Jansen Van Vuuren, Diana Bell Terence J. Robinson: A Molecular Supermatrix of the Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae) Allows for the Identification of Five Intercontinental Exchanges During the Miocene. Systematic Biology 53 (3); Pp. 433-447. ( Abstract )
- ↑ a b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Poelagus marjorita ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
