Red rabbit
| Red rabbit | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pronolagus | ||||||||||||
| Lyon , 1904 |
The Rotkaninchen , even wool tail rabbit called ( Pronolagus ) are in Africa living genus of the family of rabbits (Leporidae)
features
The three types of red rabbits differ only slightly from each other. The system has not yet been fully clarified. The reddish brown to brown coloration, which also includes the tail, and the comparatively short ears of the animals are characteristic of other hares in Africa. The Natal wool-tailed hare is the largest species of the red rabbit, but the three species are only distinguished on the basis of minor differences in fur color and skull dimensions.
The fur of the red rabbit is dense, woolly and reddish in color, the bushy tail is reddish brown in color. Their ears are relatively short, and their legs are significantly shorter than those of the real rabbit, for example . These animals reach a head-trunk length of 38 to 56 centimeters and a weight of 1.3 to 3 kilograms.
Way of life
The habitat of the red rabbits are rugged, rocky regions, but also areas overgrown with bushes and grasslands near forests. They are nocturnal animals, during the day they retreat into crevices, hollow tree trunks or into dense vegetation. Sometimes they use higher rocks as vantage points to observe possible predators. When they flee, they make high-pitched noises, either to confuse the attacker or to warn other members of their own species. Usually these animals live solitary, with the Natal wool-tailed hare small groups are sometimes reported. However, they sometimes socialize with clip slippers . The animals' diet consists primarily of grass and twigs.
The gestation period of the animals is around a month, the litter size one to two. For the offspring, the female creates a nest out of grass and fur. The young are born naked and blind and are nestled.
Systematics
|
Phylogenetic systematics of the rabbits according to Matthee et al. 2004
|
The red rabbits are assigned to the hares (Leporidae) as an independent genus . The first scientific description was in 1904 by Marcus Ward Lyon .
There are three types of red rabbits:
- Natal woolly hare ( P. crassicaudatus ) in southeastern South Africa and neighboring countries ( Lesotho , Swaziland , Mozambique )
- Randy woolly hare ( P. randensis ) in Namibia , Botswana , Zimbabwe and northern South Africa
- Red rabbits ( P. rupestris ) in eastern and southern Africa (from Kenya to South Africa)
According to individual authors and also at the IUCN , Pronolagus saundersiae is regarded as a separate species, this is listed as a subspecies of Pronolagus rupestris according to Wilson & Reeder 2005 .
On the basis of molecular biological data, Conrad A. Matthee et al. In 2004 a cladogram was developed which shows the phylogenetic relationships of the genera within the hares to one another. According to this, the red rabbits are compared to a taxon consisting of the African bush rabbit ( Poelagus marjorita ) and the striped rabbit ( Nesolagus ) in Southeast Asia as a sister group . Together this group forms the sister group to all other hares genera.
supporting documents
- ^ AG Duthie, TJ Robinson: The African Rabbits In: 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; Pp. 124-127. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
- ↑ 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 c d Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Pronolagus ( Memento of the original from December 19, 2016 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).
- ^ Pronolagus saundersiae in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2011.2. Listed by: AT Smith, CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore [u. a.] 1999. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
