Leporidae () is the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

s and

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

s, containing over 70 species of extant

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s in all. The family name comes from "Lepus", hare in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

. Together with the

pika A pika ( , or ) is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal native to Asia and North America. With short limbs, a very round body, an even coat of fur, and no external tail, they resemble their close relative the rabbit, but with short, rounded ears. ...

s, the Leporidae constitute the

ian order

Lagomorpha The lagomorphs () are the members of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, of which there are two living families: the Leporidae (rabbits and hares) and the Ochotonidae ( pikas). There are 110 recent species of lagomorph, of which 109 species in t ...

. Leporidae differ from pikas in that they have short, furry tails and elongated ears and hind legs. The

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

"rabbit" usually applies to all genera in the family except ''

Lepus Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The genu ...

'', while members of ''Lepus'' (almost half the species) usually are called hares. Like most common names, however, the distinction does not match current taxonomy completely; jackrabbits are members of ''Lepus'', and members of the genera '' Pronolagus'' and '' Caprolagus'' sometimes are called hares. Various countries across all continents except

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

have indigenous species of Leporidae. Furthermore, rabbits, most significantly the European rabbit, ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'', also have been introduced to most of

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

and to many other islands, where they pose serious ecological and commercial threats.

Characteristics

Leporids are small to moderately sized mammals, adapted for rapid movement. They have long hind legs, with four toes on each foot, and shorter fore legs, with five toes each. The soles of their feet are hairy, to improve grip while running, and they have strong claws on all of their toes. Leporids also have distinctive, elongated and mobile ears, and they have an excellent sense of hearing. Their eyes are large, and their night vision is good, reflecting their primarily

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal (active during dawn), vespertine (biology), vespertine/vespertinal (active during dusk), or both. This is distinguished from diurnalit ...

mode of living. Leporids are all roughly the same shape and fall within a small range of sizes with short tails, ranging in overall length from the long Tres Marias cottontail to the long desert hare. Female leporids are almost always larger than males, which is unusual among terrestrial mammals. It has been noted that the

humerus The humerus (; : humeri) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius (bone), radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extrem ...

bones of all leporids are extremely similar. Both rabbits and hares are almost exclusively

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...

(although some ''Lepus'' species are known to eat carrion), feeding primarily on

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

es and herbs, although they also eat leaves, fruit, and seeds of various kinds. Easily digestible food is processed in the gastrointestinal tract and expelled as regular feces. But in order to get nutrients out of hard to digest fiber, leporids ferment fiber in the cecum (in the GI tract) and then expel the contents as

cecotrope Cecotropes (also caecotropes, cecotrophs, caecotrophs, cecal pellets, soft feces, or night feces) are a nutrient-filled package created in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that is expelled and eaten by many animals (such as rabbits, guinea pigs, ...

s, which are reingested (cecotrophy). The cecotropes are then absorbed in the small intestine to utilize the nutrients. The dental formula of leporids is: = 28. Many leporids are classified by the characteristics of their teeth; for instance, the Amami rabbit's generic name, ''Pentalagus'', is derived from the fact that it is often found without its third upper molar, thus having 5 (''penta''-) total molars. They have adapted to a remarkable range of habitats, from

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

s, and

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

land. Some rabbits dig

burrow file:Chipmunk-burrow (exits).jpg, An eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of Animal lo ...

s for shelter, the exact form of which varies between species. Other rabbits do not dig burrows but use forms, usually under a bush. Hares rarely dig shelters of any kind, instead using forms, and their bodies are more suited to fast running than to burrowing.

Reproduction

Leporids are typically polygynandrous, and some have highly developed social systems. Their social hierarchies determine which males mate. Rabbits are induced ovulators (ovulate during mating). Species nesting below ground tend to have lower predation rates and have larger litters. The

gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregn ...

period in leporids varies from around 28 to 50 days, and is generally longer in the hares. This is in part because young hares (called leverets) are born precocial (eyes and ears open, fully furred), while young rabbits (called kits) are born altricial (eyes and ears closed, no fur). Higher latitudes correspond to shorter gestation periods. Leporids can have several litters a year, which can cause their population to expand dramatically in a short time when resources are plentiful. Gestation period and litter size correspond to predation rates as well.

Evolution

The oldest known leporid species date from the late

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

, by which time the family was already present in both North America and Asia. Over the course of their evolution, this group has become increasingly adapted to lives of fast running and leaping. For example, '' Palaeolagus'', an extinct rabbit from the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

of North America, had shorter hind legs than modern forms (indicating it ran rather than hopped) though it was in most other respects quite rabbit-like. The last common ancestor of the leporids likely had features not present in the last common ancestor of the lagomorphs, according to a 2022 study of the extant and extinct known lagomorphs—an intercranial joint and a facial tilt, specifically. Two as yet unnamed fossil finds—dated ~ ago (from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

) and ~ ago (

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

)—while primitive, display the characteristic leporid ankle, thus pushing the divergence of Ochotonidae and Leporidae yet further into the past. The

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ...

is from Matthee et al., 2004, based on nuclear and mitochondrial gene analysis.

Classification

Family Leporidae (

s and

s): * Genus '' Pentalagus'' ** Amami rabbit, ''Pentalagus furnessi'' * Genus '' Bunolagus'' ** Riverine rabbit, ''Bunolagus monticularis'' * Genus '' Nesolagus'' ** Sumatran striped rabbit, ''Nesolagus netscheri'' ** Annamite striped rabbit, ''Nesolagus timminsi'' * Genus '' Romerolagus'' ** Volcano rabbit, ''Romerolagus diazi'' * Genus '' Brachylagus'' ** Pygmy rabbit, ''Brachylagus idahoensis'' * Genus ''

Sylvilagus Cottontail rabbits are in the ''Sylvilagus'' genus, which is in the family Leporidae. They are found in the Americas. Most ''Sylvilagus'' species have stub tails with white undersides that show when they retreat, giving them their characteris ...

'' ** Subgenus '' Tapeti'' *** Swamp rabbit, ''Sylvilagus aquaticus'' *** Andean tapeti, ''Sylvilagus andinus'' *** Bogota tapeti, ''Sylvilagus apollinaris'' *** Common tapeti, ''Sylvilagus brasiliensis'' *** Dice's cottontail, ''Sylvilagus dicei'' *** Central American tapeti, ''Sylvilagus gabbi'' *** Northern tapeti, ''Sylvilagus incitatus'' *** Omilteme cottontail, ''Sylvilagus insonus'' *** Marsh rabbit, ''Sylvilagus palustris'' *** Suriname tapeti, ''Sylvilagus parentum'' *** Santa Marta tapeti, ''Sylvilagus sanctaemartae'' *** Coastal tapeti, ''Sylvilagus tapetillus'' *** Venezuelan lowland rabbit, ''Sylvilagus varynaensis'' ** Subgenus ''

'' *** Desert cottontail, ''Sylvilagus audubonii'' *** Mexican cottontail, ''Sylvilagus cunicularis'' ***

Eastern cottontail The eastern cottontail (''Sylvilagus floridanus'') is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is the most common rabbit species in North America. Distribution The eastern cottontail can be found in meadows and shrub ...

, ''Sylvilagus floridanus'' *** Tres Marias cottontail, ''Sylvilagus graysoni'' *** Robust cottontail, ''Sylvilagus holzneri'' *** Mountain cottontail, ''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' *** Appalachian cottontail, ''Sylvilagus obscurus'' *** New England cottontail, ''Sylvilagus transitionalis'' ** Subgenus ''Microlagus'' *** Brush rabbit, ''Sylvilagus bachmani'' * Genus '' Oryctolagus'' ** European rabbit, ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' * Genus '' Poelagus'' ** Bunyoro rabbit, ''Poelagus marjorita'' * Genus '' Pronolagus'' ** Natal red rock hare, ''Pronolagus crassicaudatus'' ** Jameson's red rock hare, ''Pronolagus randensis'' ** Smith's red rock hare, ''Pronolagus rupestris'' ** Hewitt's red rock hare, ''Pronolagus saundersiae'' * Genus '' Caprolagus'' ** Hispid hare, ''Caprolagus hispidus'' * Genus ''

'' ** Subgenus ''Macrotolagus'' *** Antelope jackrabbit, ''Lepus alleni'' ** Subgenus ''Poecilolagus'' ***

Snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sink ...

, ''Lepus americanus'' ** Subgenus ''Lepus'' ***

Arctic hare The Arctic hare (''Lepus arcticus'') is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20% of its body, and a ...

, ''Lepus arcticus'' *** Alaskan hare, ''Lepus othus'' *** Mountain hare, ''Lepus timidus'' ** Subgenus ''Proeulagus'' *** Black jackrabbit, ''Lepus insularis'' *** Desert hare, ''Lepus tibetanus'' *** Tolai hare, ''Lepus tolai'' ** Subgenus ''Eulagos'' *** Broom hare, ''Lepus castroviejoi'' *** Yunnan hare, ''Lepus comus'' *** Korean hare, ''Lepus coreanus'' ***

European hare The European hare (''Lepus europaeus''), also known as the brown hare, is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, open country. Hares are herbivorous and feed mainly ...

, ''Lepus europaeus'' *** Manchurian hare, ''Lepus mandshuricus'' *** Ethiopian highland hare, ''Lepus starcki'' ** Subgenus ''Sabanalagus'' *** Ethiopian hare, ''Lepus fagani'' ***

African savanna hare The African savanna hare (''Lepus victoriae'') is a mammal species in the family Leporidae, native to Africa. It is listed as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List. Distribution and habitat It is native to diverse regions and habitats of Africa, ...

, ''Lepus victoriae'' ** Subgenus ''Indolagus'' *** Hainan hare, ''Lepus hainanus'' *** Indian hare, ''Lepus nigricollis'' *** Burmese hare, ''Lepus peguensis'' ** Subgenus ''Sinolagus'' *** Chinese hare, ''Lepus sinensis'' ** Subgenus ''Tarimolagus'' *** Yarkand hare, ''Lepus yarkandensis'' ** ''

Incertae sedis or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' *** Tamaulipas jackrabbit, ''Lepus altamirae'' *** Japanese hare, ''Lepus brachyurus'' *** Black-tailed jackrabbit, ''Lepus californicus'' *** White-sided jackrabbit, ''Lepus callotis'' ***

Cape hare The Cape hare (''Lepus capensis''), also called the brown hare and the desert hare, is a hare native to Africa and Arabia extending into India. Taxonomy The Cape hare was one of the many Mammalia in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, mammal ...

, ''Lepus capensis'' *** Corsican hare, ''Lepus corsicanus'' *** Tehuantepec jackrabbit, ''Lepus flavigularis'' *** Granada hare, ''Lepus granatensis'' *** Abyssinian hare, ''Lepus habessinicus'' ***

Woolly hare The woolly hare (''Lepus oiostolus'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is found in western and central China, northern India, and Nepal, where its typical habitat is montane grassland. It has a wide range and is present in some ...

, ''Lepus oiostolus'' ***

Scrub hare The scrub hare (''Lepus saxatilis'') is one of two species of hares found in southern Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. Although it is listed as a least concern species, the population has been declining and is expected to ...

, ''Lepus saxatilis'' *** White-tailed jackrabbit, ''Lepus townsendii'' *Genus †'' Serengetilagus'' ** †''Serengetilagus praecapensis'' *Genus †'' Aztlanolagus'' ** †''Aztlanolagus agilis''

Predation

Predators of rabbits and hares include

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

s, canids,

cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

, mustelids, owls and

hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

s. Animals that eat roadkill rabbits include

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

s and buzzards.

References