Hares should not be confused with rabbits, especially as the latter are not usually found in Africa. In Nigeria, the order Lagomorpha is represented only by two species of hares (Lepus capensis and Lepus crawshayi). They are small animals with long silky ears, soft dense pelage, short fluffy tails, and long powerful hindlimbs. Their teeth are akin to those of rodents, but there are two notable differences, vis:
• There are four upper incisors, a large anterior pair and a smaller posterior pair.
• There are six check teeth on each side of the skull.
The large anterior upper incisors, like those rodents, are unusual since they continue to grow throughout the life of the animal. However, they don’t overgrow because they are worn down as fast as they grow. Hares have a total of teeth, more than that in any rodent.
They live in grassland savannas and in derived savanna habitats in the rainforest zone. They are mainly herbivores, living on fresh grasses and herbs.
Crawshay’s Hare (Lepus crawshayi)
Identification: Generally similar in size and form to domestic rabbits. Dorsal pelage rufous-brown flecked with black; hairs with four conspicuous bands-pale rufous at base followed by black, whitish-yellow, and black at tip. Dense white or pale rufous underfur. Flanks paler with fewer black-tipped hairs. Ventral pelage creamy-white.
Dorsal pelage of neck bright rufous. Head similar to back, sometimes with white patch on forehead; chin white; throat pale rufous-brown. Eyes large and brown. Nostrils large, more or less directly above incisor teeth.
Ears long and slender covered with short dense brownish-black hairs, fringed with greyish-white hairs on front edge and (in some individuals) rufous hairs on tip. Upper incisor teeth angled to each other, with well-defined groove on anterior surface filled with dentine.
Read Also: Order Pholidota: Species, Characteristics and their Economic Importance
