Desert Hare

About this species

Size

Head and body 40–48cm; ears 8.1–11cm; tail 8.7–10.9cm

Weight

1.6–2.5kg

Diet

Roots, seeds, foliage, stems, berries and occasionally cactus

Habitat

Grassland, desert and semi-desert scrub, and steppe

Range

Central Asia, north-west China and the western Indian subcontinent

Litter size

3–10 young; up to 3 litters a year

The desert hare is a slender, sandy-brown hare with black-tipped, tufted ears. The upperparts are sandy yellow to drab brown glossed with black, the hip and buttock area is greyish and the underparts yellowish white. Pale skin surrounds each eye, and the tail has a brownish-black stripe along its upper side. Head and body length is 40–48 cm and weight 1.6–2.5 kg (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found in Central Asia, north-west China and the western Indian subcontinent, in grassland, desert and semi-desert scrub and steppe. It is a herbivore, feeding mostly around dusk on roots, foliage, stems, berries and seeds, and sometimes on cactus for moisture. Like other hares it digs no burrow of its own but rests in a shallow depression called a form, or uses another animal's burrow. Females may have up to three litters a year of three to ten young (Wikipedia, general species account).

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