Steppe whistle hare
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Steppe whistle hare ( Ochotona pusilla ) |
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| Ochotona pusilla | ||||||||||||
| ( Pallas , 1769) |
The steppe whistle hare ( Ochotona pusilla ) is a species of mammal from the family of the whistle hares within the hare-like . Its distribution area includes parts of Kazakhstan and Russia and extends from the Volga and the southern Urals to the border of the People's Republic of China .
features
The steppe whistle hare reaches a body length of about 15 to 21 centimeters and is one of the smaller representatives of the genus. Body weight is likely to be between 125 and 400 grams. The males and females are about the same size, there is no sexual dimorphism . The body color is gray-brown on the back and sides, the belly is white. In winter the fur is about lighter than in summer. The tail is short and usually not visible. The head is small with small rounded ears. The back legs are slightly longer than the front legs and the feet are covered with fur on the underside.
The skull of the steppe whistle hare is comparatively flat. He has no fenestration in the frontal bones and the bulla tympanica is relatively large. The genome consists of 2n = 68 chromosomes .
distribution
The distribution area of the steppe whistle hare includes parts of Kazakhstan and Russia and extends from the Volga and the southern Urals to the border of the People's Republic of China . The species has not yet been detected in China itself , but it is assumed that it occurs in Xinjiang . The steppe whistle hare can therefore be found in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan on the easternmost edge of Europe.
Historically, the steppe whistle hare was spread over large parts of Europe. During the Pleistocene it was also widespread in Western Europe and Great Britain , and there is evidence of a spread in Hungary for the Holocene . The distribution area increasingly shifted to the east, so that it still occurred in the Ukraine in the 10th century and in the region between the Don and Volga in the 18th century . Since the 19th century it can only be found east of the Volga. The main reasons for the relocation of the distribution area are assumed to be climatic changes from the Pleistocene to the Holocene, later changes in the landscapes were made by humans, especially by agriculture and grazing.
Way of life
The habitat of the steppe whistle hare is of course the steppe areas where the animals dig their burrows. They live mainly in the moist soil overgrown with grasses and bushes.
The steppe whistle hare is active both day and night. In contrast to most other whistling hares, it also searches for food at night and can shout all night. They are sociable and can live together in larger groups and families, the regional population density is between 0.1 animals per hectare and 80 animals per hectare. The distance between the individual structures is two to four meters. A hibernation not make these animals, they are correspondingly also active during the winter and come especially on windless days on the surface and dig in the snow for food.
The communication between the mothers and pups and between males and females play a central role in these pikas. Both the males and the females whistle. The singing of the males consists of a series of long whistling tones that can be heard from a distance of up to two kilometers. The shorter calls of the females are used to attract males; they often respond to calls from other females.
The predators of the steppe whistle hare probably include numerous predators and birds of prey .
nutrition
The steppe whistle hare generally feeds on the available plants in its habitat. He mainly eats various grasses and collects them in small piles. It happens that the animals plunder the grass piles of other conspecifics. Some of the food that is collected is stored in the burrows, but it is not enough to feed the animals throughout the winter.
Reproduction
Little information is available on the reproductive behavior of the steppe whistle hares. Like other species in the genus, they are likely to be monogamous or polygynous, and the males are likely to form territories that overlap the territories of one or more females during the breeding season.
The reproduction rate is very dependent on the weather conditions. The females give birth to three to five litters each year with one to thirteen, on average eight to nine young animals. The gestation period is around 22 to 24 days and the young are likely to be suckled by the mother for up to 30 days. The pups weigh about nine grams at birth, they are naked and their eyes are closed. They grow quickly and can leave the burrow after about 30 days.
The males reach sexual maturity after a year, while the females are sexually mature after four or five weeks and can have their first litter in the first year. In the first year afterwards, young females usually only have one to three litters, in the following years these can be more.
Systematics
The first description of the steppe whistle hare comes from the naturalist Peter Simon Pallas from the year 1769. It is assigned as an independent species to the whistle hare (genus Ochotona ) and the subgenus Ochotona .
Currently, two subspecies are described with the nominate form Ochotona pusilla pusilla and Ochotona pusilla angustifrons . Originally, the species also contained the Ochotona nubrica , Ochotona forresti, and the subspecies Ochotona thibetana osgoodi of the Moupin pigeon hare ( Ochotona thibetana ), which are now recognized as separate species .
Hazard and protection
The species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered (least concern) due to its very large distribution area and large population.
Very little data is available on population sizes and densities; they also vary greatly in terms of space and time. However, the range of this species has declined sharply in the last few centuries and many populations have become smaller. In the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan the species is classified as rare, in other regions it can be found regularly or is considered common.
The main cause of the decline and at the same time the main source of danger for the future is the transformation of the natural steppe landscapes into agricultural areas. Historically, the animals were hunted with traps because of their high-quality fur, but this had little influence on the populations and is no longer relevant today.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Brianne Ordway: Ochotona pusilla in the Animal Diversity Net. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i 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. 46-47. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Ochotona pusilla in the endangered species Red List of IUCN 2011. Published by: E. Bewer, AT Smith, 2008. Retrieved on 13 July 2012 found.
- ↑ a b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Ochotona pusilla ( Memento of the original dated December 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been 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).
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; Pp. 46-47. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
Web links
- Ochotona pusilla in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: E. Bewer, AT Smith, 2008. Accessed July 13, 2012 found.
- Brianne Ordway: Ochotona pusilla in the Animal Diversity Net. Retrieved July 13, 2012.