Manchurian hare
The Manchurian hare ( Lepus mandshuricus ) is a mammal in the genus of the Real hares among lagomorphs. The distribution extends over parts of the Northeast China and the adjacent regions of Russia.
Features
The Manchurian hare is a relatively small rabbit with a body length of 41-54 centimeters and weighing 1.4 to 2.6 kg, an average of 1.8 kilograms. He is the smallest rabbit in North East China. The back is a rusty brown to dark - brown and black with bright yellow banded hair. The chest, flanks and legs are bright pink to cinnamon. The belly is whitish and the tail gray with black-brown top. The ears are cinnamon to beige, rust-brown of the neck. In winter the coat is brighter, some animals have a ash-gray color, the belly is white with them.
Dissemination
The distribution area of the Manchurian hare extends over parts of the East of the People's Republic of China in the area of Manchuria with the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Nei Mongol and Russia on the Ussuri region near the border in the regions of Khabarovsk, Amur and Primorye. The northern distribution limit represents the Burejagebirge dar. For North Korea a distribution is assumed sympatric with the Korean hare ( Lepus coreanus ), but this is uncertain.
The Manchurian hare preferred forest habitats with dense undergrowth in the form of mixed forests up to homogeneous coniferous forests. Open habitats and populated by people regions are avoided. The altitudinal distribution ranges from 300 to 900 meters.
Way of life
Over the life of the rabbit are very few data. It is believed that it corresponds to the behavior of the snowshoe hare ( L. americanus ), which is colonized similar habitats in North America and considered as " ecological equivalent". How these feeds probably the Manchurian hare mainly of green branches, leaves and herbs. He is shy and lives as a loner, by observations in the 19th century it rests unlike most rabbits not in open troughs, but open to one side caves at the foot of trees.
The breeding season begins in mid-February. The litters usually include one or two pups, but can also reach up to four or five young. The number of litters per year is unknown.
System
The Manchurian hare is associated as an independent species the genuine rabbit ( genus Lepus ). A close relationship has been postulated for the Japanese hare ( L. brachyurus ), while molecular biological studies suggest a closer relationship with the Yarkand hare ( L. yarkandensis ) near. In some taxonomic considerations a further form is considered as a separate species L. melainus, but this is not confirmed by actual observation and L. melainus is considered a melanistic form of the Manchurian hare and synonym.
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 ).