The Indian hare (''Lepus nigricollis''), also known as the black-naped hare, is a common species of

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 ...

native to the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, and

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

. Its habitat in Java is in rocky highlands.

Description

The Indian hare is of medium size compared to other hares. Towards the southern parts of its

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

, individuals are notably larger. Its fur color is a mix of black and

rufous Rufous () is a color that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish- red, as of rust or oxidised iron. The first recorded use of ''rufous'' as a color name in English was in 1782. However, the color is also recorded earlier in 1527 as a d ...

, with the rufous color being especially present on the legs and breast of the hare. The hare's underside, including that of its tail, is white. The tail is brown on top. It has a head and body length of , -long ears, large, well-furred hind feet that measure from , and a rather long tail of about . Adults can weigh up to , and may weigh as little as . The subspecies of Indian hare may display some distinguishing features. The

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...

, ''L. n. nigricollis'', has a black rather than brown tail, and the back of its neck has a distinctive black patch of fur. The fur of ''L. n. dayanus'' is paler, tending towards yellow. ''L. n. ruficaudatus'' is very similar to ''L. n. nigricollis'', but the tail and neck patch are rufous and dark brown rather than black.

Distribution and habitat

The Indian hare inhabits open grassy areas, cultivated plains, semi-arid and arid plains, and hills throughout the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka.

Behaviour and ecology

Its activity pattern has been defined as crepuscular and nocturnal.

Introductions

It has been introduced to

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

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and

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Taxonomy

There are seven recognized subspecies of Indian hare. * ''Lepus nigricollis aryabertensis'' * ''Lepus nigricollis dayanus'' * ''Lepus nigricollis nigricollis'' * ''Lepus nigricollis ruficaudatus'' * ''Lepus nigricollis sadiya'' * ''Lepus nigricollis simcoxi'' * ''Lepus nigricollis singhala''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:hare, Indian

Indian hare The Indian hare (''Lepus nigricollis''), also known as the black-naped hare, is a common species of hare native to the Indian subcontinent, and Java. Its habitat in Java is in rocky highlands. Description The Indian hare is of medium size compar ...

Mammals of South Asia Mammals of India