Hainan rabbit
| Hainan rabbit | ||||||||||||
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Hainan hare ( lepus hainanus ) |
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| Lepus hainanus | ||||||||||||
| Swinhoe , 1870 |
The Hainan hare ( Lepus hainanus ) is a species of mammal belonging to the genus of the real hare within the hare-like species . He is on the to China belonging island Hainan endemic .
features
The Hainan hare is a comparatively small type of hare with a maximum body length of 35 to 40 centimeters and a body weight of 1.3 to 1.8 kilograms. The ear length is 80 to 100 millimeters and the rear foot length 76 to 96 millimeters. The fur is soft and brightly colored. The back side is sandy brown with dark maroon and black colorations, the body sides are maroon and the belly is white. The animals have light dark circles around their eyes, which continue to the back to the base of the ears and to the front to the snout. The tail has black stripes on the top and is white on the underside. The feet are light brown with white flecks.
Compared to the Chinese hare ( L. sinensis ) it has a smaller and more rounded head and is lighter in color. The winter coat of the species is also lighter than the summer coat.
distribution
The Hainan hare is endemic to the island of Hainan in the Chinese province of Hainan of the same name .
Way of life
The species is found mainly in the dry grasslands in the north and south-west of the island, while the east of the island is less suitable. Flat, dry farmland with bushes or plantations is optimal, while they do not occur in agricultural areas and in the mountains. The species probably originally inhabited the entire flatland of the island with the exception of the northeast up to heights of about 300 meters, but in 1995 it was only detected in the area of individual deer farms in the area of the central west coast.
The Hainan Rabbit is nocturnal, with the main activity being after sunset and early morning. Occasionally these rabbits also eat during the day. Like all rabbits, they feed primarily on grasses and herbs. They don't dig structures and rest in the grass.
There are hardly any data or observations on reproduction.
Systematics
The Hainan hare is assigned to the real hare (genus Lepus ) as an independent species . The first scientific description comes from Robert Swinhoe from 1870, who described it from the area around the capital Haikou and already introduced it as an independent species under the name Lepus hainanus . It is sometimes viewed as a subspecies of the Burmese hare ( L. peguensis ) and, depending on the analysis method, it can be interpreted as a subspecies as well as an independent one.
No subspecies are distinguished within the species.
Hazard and protection
The species has been classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) since 2016 because of the size of the population as threatened ("endangered"), previously as endangered ("vulnerable"). The current population is estimated at 250 to 500 animals and it is assumed that only about 2 km 2 of optimal habitat for this species is available on the island .
The Hainan hare was hunted intensively in the past for its fur and meat. The overhunting together with the expansion of the agricultural areas led to a sharp decline in the number of animals until the 1990s, when it was sometimes only very rarely detected and locally extinct. In addition, due to the agricultural use and the expansion of settlements, around 90% of the island became uninhabitable for the species and the competition with the introduced wild rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) represents another threat to the Hainan hare. A population census in 1995 estimated the number of Animals at the location Da Tien to about 157 animals per square kilometer and in Bang Xi to 62 animals per square kilometer.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Hainan Hare. In: Stéphanie Schai-Braun, Klaus Hackländer: Family Leporidae (Hares and Rabbits). In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, p. 129. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Joseph A. Chapman, John EC Flux (Ed.): Rabbits, Hares and Pikas. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (PDF; 11.3 MB) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Gland 1990. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
- ↑ a b c d e Lepus hainanus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: AT Smith, Smith, C. Johnston, 2008. Accessed December 29, 2018th
literature
- Joseph A. Chapman, John EC Flux (Eds.): Rabbits, Hares and Pikas. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (PDF; 11.3 MB) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Gland 1990. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
- Hainan Hare. In: Stéphanie Schai-Braun, Klaus Hackländer: Family Leporidae (Hares and Rabbits). In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, p. 129. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
Web links
- Lepus hainanus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: AT Smith, Smith, C. Johnston, 2008. Accessed December 29, 2018th