Hispid Hare

About this species

Size

Ears 54–61mm; tail 25–38mm

Weight

Males about 1.8–2.6kg; females about 2.5kg

Diet

Grasses and leaves; at least 23 plant species

Habitat

Tall grassland; fragmented

Range

Southern Himalayan foothills of India, Nepal and Bangladesh

Litter size

2–3 young; about 3 litters a year

Gestation

40 days

The hispid hare, also called the Assam rabbit or bristly rabbit, is the only species in its genus. It has a harsh, bristly coat, dark brown on the back from a mixture of black and brown hairs, brown on the chest and whitish on the abdomen, with a brown tail 25–38 mm long, small ears compared with the Indian hare and a large nose. Males weigh about 1.8–2.6 kg and females about 2.5 kg (Wikipedia, general species account).

Once thought extinct, it was rediscovered in Assam in 1971 and survives in isolated populations across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, and is known in several national parks. It is crepuscular and herbivorous, eating grasses and leaves, at least 23 plant species, and when it feeds on thatching grasses it strips the outer sheath from the base. Gestation is 40 days, with about three litters a year of two or three young. Birds of prey, cats, civets, jackals, weasels and foxes prey on it (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)