Probably everyone watched in childhood the good old cartoon "Just you wait" about a wolf and a smart and nosy hare. A very interesting character, but what is a hare, like an animal, in real life?
Hares live in fields, forests, near swamps. Often they can be seen on the outskirts of cities, towns, suburban areas. Once upon a time in antiquity, people killed hares for fur and food. Now, centuries later, humanity looks at these animals differently. You can imagine the reaction of a child who saw a hare in a zoo or on the street. He will display joy, delight. And there is no desire to kill and eat the animal.
Basically, hares live in the forest, as well as in fields, meadows, edges. He loves to live near agricultural plots, alternating with copses. IN winter period it can be seen near settlements and rivers. If he has enough food, he is able to live in an area of up to fifty hectares. Otherwise, he makes daily runs from habitats to food points.
They lead a nocturnal lifestyle. You can see them only during the day during your runs. The life of a hare during the day is a small hole dug under a tree or tall grass. It does not dig holes for a permanent rookery, sometimes it stops in abandoned fox or badger burrows. In winter, they may burrow into a haystack or live near buildings near a settlement.
Hares can run very fast. They can reach speeds of up to sixty kilometers per hour. They are distinguished by the ability to confuse tracks and swim well. Hares are usually quiet animals. If he is wounded or caught, then only then does he make loud noises. Another type of connection is tapping with the paws, reminiscent of the sounds of a drum.
The hare hears well. His eyesight is not very good and he does not smell very well, but his hearing is excellent. As mentioned above, he knows how to confuse traces. He comes back strictly on his trail to the side. Thus, he brings the predator to a standstill. Seeing suitable hunters, the hare freezes in place, hoping that they will leave or turn in the other direction. If this does not happen, he has to flee. It is convenient for a hare to run up a mountain, but it is inconvenient to run down a mountain, so in such cases it rolls head over heels. But it also happens that neither speed nor the ability to confuse the tracks helps him. Then he lies on his back and starts to fight back with his strong paws, and he does not always win this duel. Sometimes there are exceptions, and he even manages to damage his opponents.
Hares eat plants and shoots of bushes and trees. Basically, they eat leaves and stems, but they can also eat roots if the need arises. In winter, especially in severe frosts and in snowy weather, when vegetation occurs big problems, and there is almost none, the hares have hunger, they freeze and may die.
Lagomorphs are representatives of the order of placental mammals. Animals have a placenta, so that the cubs are born quite developed, strong. The females feed their offspring with milk.
characteristic hallmark ears are long, tubular, not proportionate to the body. The use of ears is that they help animals survive in hazardous conditions wildlife.
The animal feeds on plants, roots, bark of trees. They eat heavy food, so nature has provided the animal with a large caecum, constantly growing teeth. There are no fangs, there is an empty space between the incisors and molars, called the diastema. The right and left rows of molars are connected by a thin bridge, forming a hard bony palate. The upper jaw of animals has 2 pairs of incisors: large in front, small with small incisors behind. The teeth are constantly growing to grind down the incisors, the animal is forced to gnaw.
The stomach consists of 2 departments responsible for certain functions:
Hares live everywhere: in the tundra, taiga, steppe. They are loners by nature. They lead a nocturnal lifestyle. In search of food, animals go out in the dark so that twilight hides them from natural enemies. Having refreshed themselves, the animals return home before sunrise. So that no one guesses about the lair, the beast climbs into it backwards, having previously confused the tracks.
The lair is chosen carefully, scrupulously. It should be warm, protected from the wind. Animals do not like dampness, noise. Animals do not dig holes, they choose a ready place: bush, arable land, tall grass. Due to the coloring, the animal is impossible to see.
They are homebodies, do not change their habitat. If people or animals force him to break away from his familiar place, the beast does not go far. The maximum distance from the place of residence is 2-3 km, when the danger passes, the animal will return home.
When cold weather sets in, hares living in the uplands descend to the lowlands to wait out the winter.
It should be noted the cleanliness of animals. They often sit down and clean up: comb, lick the hair.
Hares are herbivores. The diet of animals is diverse, depending on the time of year and the region in which the animal lives. In spring, the animal feeds on young shoots.
Winter time - difficult period for wild animals. In frosts, animals dig up the snow, looking for dry grass. They can be found on winter fields, where they eat up spikelets and root crops left after harvesting. Animals gnaw the bark of trees, bushes in the forest. This causes a lot of trouble for gardeners, because hares spoil valuable varieties of fruit trees.
The summer diet is wide. Animals feed on plants, actively gaining weight. They prefer the upper part of the grass: leaves, flowers. They eat dandelions, pickans, tansy, strawberries, blueberries.
While eating, animals jump up and down to assess their surroundings. If the animal noticed or felt the danger, it begins to loudly knock its paws on the ground. Knocking is a warning of danger.
Tapping with paws is used by females during the mating period - they lure males that live nearby. In a fight, males must identify a worthy contender for the paw and heart of a long-eared beauty. The courtship period is long: it starts in January and ends in August-September.
The female bears offspring for about 2 months, approximately 43 days. In one litter, a hare brings 1-9 cubs. In winter, 1-4 hare are born, in summer the number increases. Rabbits are born completely covered with hair, with open eyes. Newborn babies are licked by the female, slightly shaken to stimulate blood circulation. Then, the mother hides them in a recess, leaves to look for food. For three weeks, the hare feeds the cubs with milk, then they switch to self-feeding with grass. If a nursing female meets strangers, she will definitely feed them. Even if the mother died, orphaned babies will receive the necessary milk, they will not die of hunger.
Since thousands of rabbits do not live to adulthood and die from the claws and teeth of predators, the animals have a natural fertility. Animals are characterized by a rare feature - superfitting - a female can be pregnant with offspring at different stages of development. Females reach sexual development by 6 months. During the mating season, the female makes sounds resembling human muttering.
Outwardly, it is impossible to distinguish a hare from a hare. When examining the genital organs, you can see that the females have visible abdominal and pectoral nipples.
IN wild nature, hares live 7-8 years
In total, 32 breeds of hares are known, but scientists insist on including hares and rabbits in the breed, of which there are about 45 species.
This is a fairly large animal, weighing approximately 1.5-5 kg. The ears of the animal can be up to 10 cm long. Short little ponytail always snow-white, sizes fluctuate between 5-10 cm. The hare's paws are wide and thick, which helps him jump in deep, loose snow.
The color of the hare in summer depends on the range: from gray with red stripes to dark gray. The belly of the animal is white. Bunnies are larger and heavier, but they do not differ in color. In winter, the hare puts on a snow-white fur coat, for which he got his name.
The hare can be found even in Argentina. In Russia, he lives everywhere, is an object of hunting, since hare meat is famous for its tenderness.
The animal weighs about 6-7 kg, the color is dark gray with speckles, the eyes are dark brown. The ears of the hare are long, they can reach 14 cm. The tail is elongated, its length is about 8-14 cm. Since this species lives in places with little snow, its paws are narrow and dense. The animal prefers the steppe.
The hare was introduced to Australia, where it became a national disaster. Uncontrolled reproduction led to the death of the local fauna, the loss of a huge amount of crops. The doctrine is conducting research aimed at eliminating the beast from the territory of Australia.
A desert animal accustomed to living in a warm habitat. The size of the animal is small. Weight - 1.5-3 kg. Legs are long and narrow. It has long ears and a tail. The fur is gray with a yellowish or brown haze. Dark, light colors alternate, the hare looks motley. The tail of the animal is dark, but there is a distinctive feature - at the end there is a brush of white stiff hair.
Miniature fragile animal, weighing up to 3 kilograms. It has short ears and a tail. The coat is variegated, a strip of black hair is visible in the center of the back. Sometimes there are melanists - hares with a black coat color.
Not found in Russia. Habitat: Mexico, Arizona, USA. The ears of the beast reach 20.5 cm and serve not only for hearing. Considering hot climate, ears are a kind of heat exchanger, help to lower body temperature.
A miniature animal weighing up to 2 kg, lives mainly in China, Vietnam. Likes hills, meadows with low grass.
Inhabits Tibet, China. The animal is small in size, weighing about 2 kg. Color palette from black to dirty yellow.
The variety of hares is amazing, but their habits are almost identical. Animals serve as an object of hunting because of the tender meat, thick fur. Often the captured animal dies of fear, having received a heart rupture.
Hares live throughout Russia, in forests, steppes, swamps. Hare not uncommon to meet near cities in forest belts and on garden plots. In winter, snow in such places is usually full of hare tracks.
Hare for a person. In the past, when people were forced to survive in the wild, the Hare served as both food and clothing for humans. Today, thanks to technological progress, it is no longer necessary to kill animals in order to eat them and dress in the skin of a corpse.
Therefore, a person begins to look at a hare with different eyes. What happiness and delight it is for children born within the city walls to meet a real wild Hare, as if jumping out of the pages of children's fairy tales, and running away into mysterious forest.
Now, in people who follow the path of evolution, instead of the desire to kill, devour, pull on a gutted skin, I see in the eyes joy of meeting. After all, these are our smaller brothers. So, about hares.
Hares living in Russia: European Hare, White Hare, Tolai Hare, Manchurian Hare.
What the Hare looks like, I think everyone has an idea. I will only clarify: the size of the Hare is 45-70 cm, long pointed ears, the color is gray-brown, white - depending on the season. Molting occurs in spring and autumn, which allows the Hare to successfully camouflage.
The hare feeds on woody vegetation in winter time especially in the second half of winter. The role of tree fodder in the nutrition of hares in different years varies and increases with increasing snow depth and the onset of dry summer weather. In snowy winters, when vegetation becomes inaccessible for Hares, starvation of these animals is noted, leading to their death. Hares lose weight, become emaciated and may freeze. In this case, severe frosts and ice are especially detrimental. In winter, the Hare willingly eats berries and seeds of shrubs - hawthorn, wild rose, blackthorn.
Winter feeding conditions play a decisive role in the nutrition of the Brown Hare. It is during this period, especially in the second half of winter, that Hares can cause damage to forest plantings and gardens.
Despite all the protections most Hares rarely manage to survive in wild nature more than 1-2 years. Therefore, the Hares are faced with the task of leaving as many offspring as possible.
Hares and rabbits in warm climates are able to bring up to 5 litters per year, 2-8 cubs each. TO breeding hares start at 1 year of age.
After 6-7 weeks of pregnancy hare brings 2-5, sometimes up to 9 Rabbits, which are born pubescent, sighted and weigh up to 130 g at birth. Already at the end of the first week Bunnies start eating grass. Bunnies are growing fast. Their rapid growth is due to the high nutritional value of the Hare's milk, which contains up to 24% fat and 12% squirrel. A single serving of milk, which is 40 g, is enough for the Hare for 3-4 days, since it is digested for a long time in the stomach. This allows the Rabbits to lie motionless in one place, without betraying their presence to predators.
During the winter hare footprints in the snow easy to spot, but summer time, because of the dense vegetation, they are almost noticeable. Only on the paths along which the Hares run at dusk, you can see the traces of their claws. hare footprints one of the most notable winter forest because they have a characteristic shape.
What can be said about animals such as hares? What is included in the daily diet of these animals? Where do hares live? How do they reproduce? What are the types of rabbits? The answers to these and other questions can be found by reading our publication.
The hare is an animal of not too large size, which has a slender body, somewhat flattened laterally. Some species reach sizes of the order of 65-70 cm. As for mass, hares are able to gain weight over 7 kg. A distinctive feature of the "appearance" of such animals is the presence of long ears of a characteristic wedge-shaped shape. Thanks to this developed sense organ, hearing in such animals is much better compared to sight and smell.
Hares have long hind limbs with massive feet. This structure of the paws makes it possible for the animals to accelerate almost instantly to a speed of about 80 km / h when the first danger arises. At the same time, hares confuse predators by sharply changing the direction of movement. Animals deftly run on flat surfaces and climb steep slopes without problems. However, they do not feel too confident when descending the hills. The reason for this is short, underdeveloped forelimbs. In such cases, hares often have to roll head over heels from hills.
The main daily activity of hares is the search for food. Animals prefer to search for food at night, when the likelihood of getting into the eyes of predators is reduced. With the onset of dawn, the hares go to secluded places where they rest and gain strength. As temporary dwellings, they choose dense shrubs, deep furrows in the soil. In winter, the animals hide in puffs of snow and dig out shelters.
Each of us knows from the cradle that the hare is a herbivore. The favorite delicacies of such animals are garden crops, in particular cabbage and carrots. However, what do hares eat in nature, living at a considerable distance from farmland? We will try to answer this question further.
The diet of animals varies depending on the season. What does a hare eat in nature? In summer, the main “prey” of such animals is the shoots of young vegetation. Animals give preference to juicy, sweet roots. Especially hares like dandelions, yarrow, clover, sedge, alfalfa. In the fertile period of the year, they are not averse to eating blueberry shoots and berries, the fruits of wild apples and pears.
With the advent of autumn, hares have to switch to absorbing the bark of trees, small, succulent twigs. In winter, hares often dig up all kinds of herbaceous plants and roots from under the snow.
There are several varieties of hares, which differ somewhat from each other according to body structure, color and lifestyle:
Let's look at the habitats of each species of hares in order. If we talk about hares, such animals have inhabited European forest-steppes for centuries. They are distributed in the territory of domestic latitudes. Often found in Kazakhstan, Turkey, in northern Africa.
Where do white hares live? The species is widespread in the northern regions of Russia. Large populations are observed in the wastelands of Mongolia. There are hare in the highlands of South America.
In what latitudes does the curly hare live? The habitats of representatives of the species are primarily the forest expanses of India, the forest-steppes of Nepal and China. Such animals are common in the Tibetan highlands.
Tolay is a typical representative of semi-desert expanses. It is found in Turkmenistan, China, Uzbekistan, Mongolia. You can also see such hares in the domestic steppes, starting from the young regions Astrakhan region and ending with the expanses of the Altai Territory.
Yellowish hares are the only species found exclusively in the vicinity of Tehuantepec Bay, which belongs to the territory of Mexico.
Where do broom hares live? The habitat of such animals is limited to the wastelands in the northwestern part of Spain, where the Cantabrian mountain peaks are located.
Black-tailed hares are the most common species in the United States. These animals are also often found in Mexico.
The Manchurian hare is a typical representative of the fauna of the plains and woodlands. Far East. Large populations of such animals are noted in Korea, China, and Primorye.
Most hares are solitary creatures. However, some species form pairs. The animals mate three times during the year. Pregnancy in females lasts one and a half months. From one to nine babies can be born at a time.
The offspring of hares from the first days is sighted and capable of movement. Young individuals need mother's milk only in the first week. Then the hares completely switch to plant food. The young growth becomes sexually mature by the next spring.
Hares are rather defenseless animals that are the traditional prey of the most numerous predators. Especially often young individuals who have just lost their maternal care and begin an independent life become victims of carnivorous animals.
The enemies of hares are primarily foxes and wolves. In forested regions they are preyed upon by lynxes. Hares that live near human settlements often become the prey of stray dogs. Birds of prey, in particular eagles, hawks and owls, do not mind eating these animals. Naturally, humans cause tangible damage to the population of hares on all continents.
There are several fascinating facts about hares:
The hare is a small mammal animal, recently belonging to the order Lagomorphs and the hare family. Before that, they were considered a type of rodent. The international scientific name of the hare genus is Lepus (lat.). Hares only at first glance seem to be harmless animals. Thanks to powerful legs and long claws, they are able to withstand danger. Since ancient times, this fluffy animal has been a desirable prey for hunters because of its dietary meat and rare fur.
The hare has a slender, slightly elongated body, up to 68-70 cm long.
The hare has long locator ears, 9–15 cm long. The hearing of this animal is more developed than other sense organs. Sound can be picked up by one ear, independently of the other, which facilitates the animal's auditory orientation.
A distinctive feature of the hare is the long foot of the hind legs, which gives it the ability to run away from predators (fox, owl, wolf) at a speed of 80 km / h, sharply change direction and jump to the side. A small animal can easily climb to the top of the hill, but it descends from it, rolling head over heels.
The sweat glands of a hare are located on the soles of their paws. It is almost impossible for a predator to smell a recumbent animal.
In spring and autumn, hares molt.
The stomach of lagomorphs is divided into two sectors. One section is designed for fermentation of food, the other for its digestion.
The average weight of an animal is 5-7 kg. The tail of the hare is small, raised up.
Lagomorphs differ in blood composition from rodents.
Another distinguishing feature is the structure of the teeth. In the upper jaw, hares have incisors, 2 pairs on each side. The inert palate is a bridge connecting the right and left molars. In rodents, it is in the form of an integral bone platform. There are no gaps between the protruding parts of the upper and lower teeth, which allows better processing of food.
The agouti, the so-called humpbacked or golden hare, is classified as a rodent.
The color of the hare is directly related to the season. In summer, his coat can be brown, reddish-gray, brown. The color of the animal is uneven, since the down under the coat has a dark shade. There are also small inclusions. The coat on the belly of a hare is always white. In winter, the fur of a fluffy animal becomes lighter, but only in a white hare it is flawlessly white. The color of the tips of the ears of the lagomorphs is black all year round.
Males live an average of 5 years, females up to 9 years. A tamed hare lives much longer.
The type of eared animal has an impact on the number of years lived. So, a white hare can live up to 17 years. Such cases are unique. Rusaki live much less, more often than 5 years. They rarely live past the age of 14.
The American hare lives an average of 7-8 years. The black-tailed hare lives up to a maximum of 6 years, but often representatives of this species die much earlier from diseases or predators. Agouti (or as they are also called golden or humpbacked hare) can live up to 20 years.
Seal - bearded seal lives about 30 years, males often live only up to 25 years.
The hare genus consists of a dozen subgenera, each of which is divided into species.
White hare (Latin Lepus timidus). Body length about 44-65 cm; weight 1.6-4.5 kg. A distinctive feature of this white hare is its ability to masterfully disguise itself. The hare has a white coat color in winter, in summer the fur acquires grey colour. white hare- the goal of many sport hunters. Habitat: Russia (including the Arctic); China, Mongolia, northern Europe, South America.
European hare (Latin Lepus europaeus). The largest representative of the lagomorphs, has brown fur. The length of the body is 68 cm, weight up to seven kilograms. The fur is shiny, curls a little. The tail and ears are larger than those of the hare. Rusak, one might say, a steppe hare. Habitat: Europe, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Transcaucasia, Arabian Peninsula, North Africa.
Antelope hare (Latin Lepus alleni). The length of the body is 45-60 cm. A distinctive feature of the antelope hare is its impressive size ears, up to 20 cm. They help to normalize the heat exchange of the animal in a hot climate. inhabits this species northwestern Mexico and American Arizona.
The Chinese hare (Latin Lepus sinensis) is distinguished by its miniature size. The body length is 30-45 cm, weight is within 2 kg. The color of the fur varies from chestnut to red. The coat is short, hard in structure. Habitat: China, Taiwan and Vietnam; inhabits predominantly highlands.
Tolai hare (Latin Lepus tolai). Outwardly, it has similar features with a hare, only noticeably more compact in size. Body length 39-55 cm, weight 1.5-2.8 kg. A tolai hare has larger limbs and ears than a hare. Dwells in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Northeast China and Mongolia. In Russia, almost everywhere.
Yellow hare (Latin Lepus flavigularis). Body length 60 cm, weight 4 kg. Ears and legs are large. The yellowish hare has the original color of the ears. From their base to the back of the head there are two black stripes, sides white color. The habitat of the hare: the coast of Tehuantepec Bay in Mexico. Terrain: Coastal grassy dunes and open grasslands. Awake in the dark.
Broom hare (Latin Lepus castroviejoi). The body length of a hare of this species is 45-65 cm, weight is from 2.6 to 3.2 kg. The color of the hare is black-brown, with small white patches. Lives in Spain, listed in the Red Book of this country. The species is widespread in areas with little vegetation. In many respects, the broom hare is similar to the hare.
Black-tailed (California) hare (Latin Lepus californicus). Body length 47-63 cm, weight 1.5-3 kg. A distinctive feature of the species are long ears and massive hind legs. The fur in the upper part of the body is gray-brown in color. The back of the animal is decorated with a black stripe. The population of these lagomorphs is most impressive in the western United States and in Mexico. The black-tailed hare is a loner.
Manchurian hare (Latin Lepus mandshuricus). The body size of the Manchurian hare is 40-55 cm, weight 1.3-2.5 kg. The legs, tail and auricles are relatively short, which gives the Manchurian hare similar features to the wild (European) rabbit. The fur is hard, bristly. The color of the coat is brown, uneven, with gray patches. There is a darker stripe down the back. long hair. It is found in the south of the Russian Far East, in the Chinese region of Manchuria and in the north of Korea. We can say that this is a forest hare that prefers deciduous forests with dense shrubs.
Tibetan Curly Hare (Latin Lepus oiostolus). The body length is 40-58 cm. Weight 2.3 kg. The fur of an animal of this species has a yellowish tint, on the back the hair is slightly wavy. Habitat: China, India, Nepal. Location: highlands of Tibet.
Agouti (lat. Dasyprocta) or South American golden hare (humped hare). This animal belongs to the order of rodents, is a relative of guinea pigs. In the people, agouti is also called golden (or golden) hare. This animal has a body length of 50 cm, weight about 4 kg. It got its second name due to its golden color. The humpback hare is distributed throughout Central and South America, from Mexico to Brazil. Agoutis are very good swimmers.
A hare, unlike a rabbit, which is a burrowing animal, needs space and a lot of movement. With a strong desire, hares can be bred at home, following certain rules.
Features of keeping a hare at home:
Hares are very sociable animals, living in an apartment, they need constant interaction with a person, games, attention. But these animals should not be constantly held in their arms, they do not like hugs.
Features of feeding a hare at home:
It is impossible to release an already tamed hare into the wild, he will not survive.
One of the most amazing representatives of the lagomorphs is the Flanders, or Belgian giant. This is an industrial breed of rabbits. The body length of adults is 67 cm, weight 7-10 kg. The coat is thick, the color is hare-gray, yellow-gray, dark gray, iron-gray. The breed began to breed in 1952.
The bearded seal, or bearded seal, belongs to the family of true seals. The body length is 2.5 meters. In winter, the weight is 360 kg. The sea hare seal lives in the shallow waters of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Representatives of the northern peoples make household items from the skin of a seal. Pregnancy of a female bearded seal lasts a year, one cub is born, with a body length of 120 cm. The ability to reproduce appears at the age of five.
Hares are land animals, they cannot swim and climb trees. Some species love space, spaces with little vegetation. Other species belong to forest hares and inhabit places with dense thickets. Hares can live apart, some species live in colonies and build burrows. The white hare lives in the tundra, rarely in the forest and forest-steppe zone. The rodent humpback hare is a resident of the tropics and savannas. Lagomorphs inhabit the entire Earth. FROM recently they were brought to Australia South America, Madagascar, and Southeast Asia.
Hares are mammals and eat plant foods.
Brown hare food:
White hare diet:
The humpback hare feeds on fruits and other parts of plants.
The sea hare seal eats benthic invertebrates and bottom fish: flounder, polar cod, goby.
In nature, hares can form pairs, but a separate lifestyle is not uncommon. A hare can bring offspring three times a year, 5-10 rabbits in each brood. The gestation period is 50 days. The fecundity of hares is high. Cubs are born with a woolen cover, they can see and walk. In the first seven days of life, hares need milk. But by the third week they are fully adapted to vegetable food. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 7-11 months.
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