Hares (Lepus spp) in Southern Africa

[Klipspringer]

In Africa, Lepus taxonomy is complexand remains considerably uncertain and taxonomic changes are taking place and in most cases debatable.

However, the old day classification with Cape Hare Lepus capensis and Scrub Hare Lepus saxatilis you still find on the web and in many field guides, check lists etc is outdated.

A more recent classification follows Happold DCD. Mammals of Africa Volume III: Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. 2013.
The EWT/SANBI Red List assessment (Robinson T, Relton C, Child MF. 2016. A conservation assessment of Lepus spp. In Child MF, Roxburgh L, Do Linh San E, Raimondo D, Davies-Mostert HT, editors. The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. South African National Biodiversity Institute and Endangered Wildlife Trust, South Africa) agrees largely with Happold.

Hares in South Africa:
Lepus capensis Cape Hare
Lepus saxatilis Scrub Hare
Lepus victoriae Savanna Hare


Tentative Distribution Map by SANBI/EWT (Note: Addo hares remain uncertain!)

map.jpg (139.87 KiB) Viewed 910 times

[Klipspringer]

Lepus capensis Cape Hare

Lepus capensis has an extensive but scattered distribution across southern, eastern and northern Africa, occurring in Mediterranean, Coastal, Sahel, Savannah and southern African biotic zones.
It is restricted to nonforested regions.
There appears to be an isolated population in Botswana near the Makagadikadi Pans.
Within the assessment region, the Cape Hare occurs extensively across the Northern and Western Cape, into the western North West Province, across much of the Free State, western Lesotho, eSwatini and marginally into the northwestern parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.
Since this species moves into burnt areas when grasses begin to sprout, its range has expanded with increased levels of bush clearance and fires across Africa.

Habitat
Lepus capensis is very adaptable and lives in a wide variety of grassland and open habitat, avoiding only bushy or closed habitats. Preferring dry, open habitats, L. capensis is widespread throughout Nama-Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes, and occurs in parts of the Grassland and Savannah Biome in southern Mozambique.

Ecology
This species feeds both by browsing and grazing, and can survive successfully without a continued supply of surface water by relying on forage as a source of moisture.
Usually preferring short, green grasses, the diet of Cape Hares in East Africa was found to consist mostly of Digitaria spp. and Eragrostis spp. In the Karoo, however, Kerley (1990) documented Cape Hares browsing on various species, favouring Galenia fruticose and Osteospermum sinuatum and were not recorded feeding on grasses.
Predominantly nocturnal, the Cape Hare is only occasionally seen during the day during overcast conditions. They are usually solitary, except when females are in oestrus, and although breeding can take place all year round, most births occur between July and December. The gestation period lasts approximately 42 days and females may produce between one and three young. Wessels (1978) found that they may have up to four litters per year, while Flux (1981) noted that up to eight litters per year are possible with between 1.3 and 2.0 individuals per litter.

(Robinson T, Relton C, Child MF. 2016. A conservation assessment of Lepus spp.)

IUCN distribution map here:
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41277/45186750

[Klipspringer]

Cape Hare Sightings


All sightings from KTP are Cape hares :

by ExFmem
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

by Lisbeth
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

by nan

by nan
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Nossob, Dec 2017

[Lisbeth]

Luckily we have now got someone, Klipspringer, who is prepared to resolve one of our stupid problems, due to laziness We only looked at photos and were never "scientific" about it i.e. reading the relative literature (We di have lots of fun though)

[Klipspringer]

Not stupid whatsoever, Lisbeth It's just classification in flux and some research now available, but still a mess and we can wait for more clarification and a proper review of the genus

For now, we must go with tentative distribution, habitat and identification according to nuchal patch (that is on the nack behind the ears and can be prominent orange, brown, reddish or indistinct such as in Cape hare).

Good news: Cape hare is very rare in KNP, only in the North in open habitat. That makes all the hares we have so far in the KNP challenge Savanna Hares - they are all orange behind the ears - (and Dingdingwe's 200 point pseudo Cape hare must be downgraded and gents will loose points )

Bad news: Hares from Addo and central SA become very tricky to ID

[Klipspringer]

Lepus victoriae Savanna Hare

Lepus victoriae has an extensive African distribution, which extends along the Atlantic coast (Guinea, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania and Western Sahara), across the Sahel and into western Kenya and Ethiopia, southwards to South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. Additionally, an isolated population has been located in western Algeria.
Currently, we assume a sympatric distribution with L. capensis and/or L. cf. saxatilis (see above) within the assessment region, where is occurs in the northeastern parts of the country, including the North West, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo provinces, as well as the easterly regions of the Eastern Cape Province.
Where L. capensis and L. victoriae co-occur, the latter prefers scrubbier and more montane habitats with denser vegetation.

Ecology
The diet of this species varies with habitat type, and similar to other Lepus species, L. victoriae is nocturnal, and is able to breed all year round. An average litter size of 1.6 was recorded by Flux and Angermann.

(Robinson T, Relton C, Child MF. 2016. A conservation assessment of Lepus spp.)

[Klipspringer]

Savanna Hare Sightings

Kruger National Park:

by ExFmem
On road leading out of Tamboti

by Flutterby
KNP, S92

by harrys
KNP

by Pumbaa
KNP, Letaba area

by Pumbaa
Southern KNP, S26

by Bushcraft
Southern KNP, around Skukuza



Pilanesberg:

by Flutterby
Pilanesberg


KZN:


Mkhuze, by RogerFraser

[Lisbeth]

They are all very cute though

[Richprins]

Personally I think they are the same species anyway!

[Klipspringer]

Look at the neck: there is an orange patch on the Savanna Hares!