Burmese hare
The Burmese hare ( Lepus peguensis ) is a mammal in the genus of the Real hares within the lagomorphs. Its distribution extends from Myanmar over wide areas of the Southeast Asian peninsula to its easternmost coast in Vietnam.
Features
The body size of the Burmese rabbits is 36-50 centimeters with a weight of 2 to 2.5 kg; that he belongs to the smaller rabbit species. The back is red-gray with black stray, the abdomen is gray and the tail on the top black. The belly is white, the relatively large ears have a black tip. The feet are in the animals in Myanmar know where in Thailand rather reddish yellow.
Dissemination
The Burmese hare is distributed over a large area in Southeast Asia. It extends from the central and southern Myanmar from the river bed of the Chindwin and the Salween to Thailand, Cambodia and southern Laos to southern Vietnam. Other deposits are likely in northern Laos, but are not unequivocally established.
The hare mainly preferred open forests and shrubby areas in the plains of tall grass and thickets, often along seasonally flooded rivers. He is also extensively used before in rain and hochwasserbewässerten rice fields, but avoids intensively managed agricultural land. After Chapman & Flux 1990 he lived mainly in dry, well wooded areas and regionally on sandy areas along the coast.
The height distribution is commonly given with a maximum of 1,200 meters, due to the absence in typical habitats at higher altitudes, such as the Nakai Plateau in Laos or the Thung Yai Naresuan in Thailand this information is considered to be too high.
Way of life
The Burmese hare is crepuscular and nocturnal. It eats mainly at night and feeds mainly on grasses, bark and twigs.
About the propagation, there are few data. The hare throws probably several times a year with one to seven, on average, three to four pups per litter. The gestation period is 35 to 40 days. The life of the rabbit about six years to be estimated.
System
The Burmese hare is associated as an independent species the genuine rabbit ( genus Lepus ). Originally also endemic to Hainan and today regarded as an independent species Hainan hare ( Lepus hainanus ) was considered a subspecies of the Burmese hares. A close relationship exists with the black neck hare ( L. nigicollis ), which was confirmed, among others, through the study of dental features. It could be shown that these two species are very closely related, but both in each case including the considered subspecies represent distinct species. A greater distance is to the Tibetan wool hare ( L. oiostolus ) and the Chinese hare ( L. sinensis), connect their distribution areas to the north where the black neck of the hare and Burmese hares.
Today, two subspecies are distinguished, the nominate Lepus peguensis peguensis and L. p. Vassali, Chapman & Flux 1990 also describe the subspecies L. p. siamensis.
A close relationship exists with the black neck hare ( L. nigricollis ) and Chapman & Flux 1990 raises the option that the Burmese hare is the same just a subspecies.
Threats and conservation
The species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN ) due to the population size and the large distribution area as not at risk ( least concern ). Mainly due to the conversion of forest areas in shrubby habitats, an increase in inventories is assumed in the distribution area, although it is heavily hunted.
Risk potential for the species has a regional intensification of agriculture as well as regular fires in Laos and Vietnam during the dry season.