Burmese hare

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognised; L. p. peguensis, L. p. siamensis and L. p. vassali.

Description

The Burmese hare is a small to moderate sized species with adults growing to a length of 35 to and weighing between 2 and.

Distribution and habitat

The range of the Burmese hare extends from southern Myanmar, south of the Chindwin River, to northern parts of the Malay Peninsula, including Thailand, Cambodia, southern Laos and southern Vietnam. It is mainly a lowland species but has been recorded as high as 1300 m in the mountains of Thailand although other surveys have not found it higher than 800 m elsewhere. Its typical habitats are cropland and dry wasteland, clearings in forests and coastal sandy areas. It is common in seasonally-inundated riverside flats, and is present in rice fields cultivated in a traditional manner while avoiding heavily irrigated, intensively-grown paddies.

Biology

The Burmese hare is nocturnal and feeds on grass, twigs and bark. Several litters of young, averaging three or four, are borne in a year after a gestation period of about thirty-seven days. The average lifespan is estimated to be six years.

Status

Threats faced by the Burmese hare include the increased cultivation of irrigated rice paddies, which results in unsuitable habitat, and being hunted for food. However the hare has a wide range and is a common animal. The population is stable, or even possibly increasing in places where logging results in favourable scrubby habitat, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists its conservation status as being of "least concern".

References

References

1. Johnston, C.H.. (2019). "''Lepus peguensis''".
2. {{MSW3 Lagomorpha
3. (1990). "Rabbits, Hares and Pikas: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan". IUCN.
4. "''Lepus peguensis'': Burmese hare". Wildpro.