Hispid hare

The hispid hare was placed in the genus Lepus, the hares, on its first description by the British surgeon John Thomas Pearson in 1839, where it was given the scientific name Lepus hispidus. This description was first published in the Calcutta Sporting Magazine, but the first formal account was published by Thomas Horsfield a year later in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society. Pearson noted that the ears of the hispid hare were "so short as not to extend past the fur on its head", but later authors assumed this to be a mistake. as the term describes something as being rough or covered in stiff hairs. English zoologist Edward Blyth gave the hispid hare a distinct genus, Caprolagus, in 1845 due to its unusual morphology, though he did not provide a reasoning for the name chosen. He noted in particular the rough fur (unusual for a hare or rabbit), large and robust skull, diminished eyes and whiskers, strong claws, and equally-proportioned limbs. the closely related extinct species Pliosiwalagus sivalensis was once considered to be a member of Caprolagus, but was reclassified in 2002. The type specimen of the hispid hare was taken from the "base of the Boutan [= Bhutan] mountains" in Assam, India, and was described by Blyth in his 1845 description of the new genus, but it is unclear if this specimen exists in any collection today. Several fossil species have been described that belong in the genus Caprolagus. C. netscheri was described by German zoologist Hermann Schlegel in 1880, but this species was later reclassified as the living Sumatran striped rabbit. Swiss zoologist Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major described the species C. sivalensis in 1899 based on specimens found in the Sivalik Hills, but this species was later placed in the genus Pliosiwalagus. Hypolagus, and currently Sericolagus. Fossils of one extinct species, C. lapis, which was described by Dutch paleontologist Dirk Albert Hooijer in 1964 and is thought to have lived in Indonesia, may date back No subspecies of the hispid hare are known. == Description ==

The hispid hare has a harsh and bristly fur coat. The coat is dark brown on the back due to a mixture of black and brown hairs; brown on the chest and whitish on the abdomen. In terms of its skeletal features, the frontal bones of the hispid hare are very wide. There is no clear notch in front of the postorbital processes (bone structures above the eye sockets). At its greatest length, the skull has been measured to be . Compared to other lagomorphs, the hispid hare has a very large nose. Its short ears and completely brown tail can be used as indicators to distinguish it from the rufous-tailed hare (Lepus nigricollis ruficaudatus), a subspecies of the Indian hare that occupies the same regions as the hispid hare but has longer ears and a white underside on its tail. == Distribution and habitat ==

The historical range of the hispid hare extended from Uttar Pradesh through southern Nepal, the northern region of West Bengal to Assam and into Bangladesh. The hispid hare lives in successional tall grasslands—regions dominated by elephant grass—which provide cover and food. It takes refuge in marshy areas or grasses adjacent to river banks during the dry season, when grassy areas are susceptible to burning. However, populations that take shelter near rivers are threatened by flooding during a monsoon, and the species tends towards dry grasslands more than wet regions with dense grasses. == Behavior and ecology ==

(Saccharum spontaneum). The hispid hare is crepuscular, being most active at dawn and dusk. Its average litter size is small, It is sympatric with the pygmy hog, It maintains a relatively small home range of on average. Saccharum narenga, and grasses in the genus Narenga, depending on the availability of each. When feeding on the shoots and roots of plants used for thatching, the hispid hare breaks the plant at its base and strips its outer sheath before consumption. Hispid hares likely obtain much of their water through consuming grasses, which during cold seasons can have a water content of over 60%. == Conservation ==

Grassland habitats of the hispid hare are threatened due to overgrazing by cattle. Additionally, the hispid hare is threatened by the cutting and burning of vegetation in its habitat. The species' preference for dry ground and less dense grass leads to activity and population declines in periods of high rainfall and intense vegetation succession or growth. Grassland burning is significantly more threatening to the species during the breeding season. Changes to the grassland habitat in the Terai Arc Landscape due to burning, succession, habitat fragmentation and collection of grasses for thatch has been especially detrimental to herbivores in the region, including the hispid hare. The hispid hare is known to be present in the grasslands of Shuklaphanta National Park based on pellet records, but its population density is very low (from 0.182 to 0.221 individuals per hectare), comparable only with that of Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary (0.087 per hectare). In January 2016, a hispid hare was recorded in Chitwan National Park for the first time since 1984. Development of controlled burning systems that do not overlap with the breeding season of the hispid hare has been recommended as a potential conservation measure. Additionally, recommendations have been made to continue studying the distribution and ecological significance of the species and to educate communities on its endangered status. Efforts to breed the hispid hare in captivity have been described as "very difficult". == References ==