Lepus habessinicus Hemprich & Ehrenberg 1832
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Lagomorpha
Leporidae
Lepus
Lepus habessinicus

description: 41.
Abyssinian Hare
Lepus habessinicus
French: Lievre d/Abyssinie / German: Abessinischer Hase / Spanish: Liebre de Abisinia
Taxonomy. Lepus habessinicus Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1832,
“East coast of Abyssinia, Near Arkiko,” Ethiopia.
Taxonomic status of L. habessinicus 1s unclear. On one hand,it is postulated to be a distinct species based on its morphological characteristics, its allopatric distribution with L. capensis and L. victoriae, and its isolation in the Horn of Africa. In contrast, L. habessinicus is related to, viewed as a subspecies, or even a synonym of L. capensis. Monotypic.
Distribution. E Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, E & S Ethiopia, Somalia (excluding the S region), and perhaps in the extreme N of Kenya.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 400-550 mm, tail 75-100 mm, ear 110-120 mm, hindfoot 100-118 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Abyssinian Hare is medium-sized, with long ears. Its fur is soft and dense. Dorsal fur is silvery gray and grizzled with a varying amount of black on shoulders, back, and rump. Flanks are pale, and ventral fur is pure white, fluffy, and less dense than dorsal fur. Wide cinnamon or rufousstripe from forelimbs to hindlimbs typically separates ventral color from flanks. Head has similar color as dorsal fur, but nasal region and cheeks are silvery white and finely grizzled. Chin is gray or whitish. Ears are relatively long and wide. They are brown or silvery brown outside and whitish buff inside. There are white fringes on lower parts of outer margins of ears and narrow black rims around ear tips. Nuchal patch is pale brownish cinnamon. Limbs of the Abyssinian Hare are long. Forelimbs are brownish cinnamon above and whitish buff below; hindlimbs are silvery gray and grizzled with black above and white or pale cinnamon-rufous below. Hindfeet are cinnamon. Tail is medium-sized, black above, and white on sides and below. Fur color varies geographically (e.g. sandy in Eritrea and grayer on the Ethiopian plateau), probably related to soil color.
Habitat. Open grassland, steppe, savanna, semi-desert, and desert, all having some shrubs for daily shade and cover from predators. In these habitats, the Abyssinian Hare replaces the Cape Hare (L. capensis). Abyssinian Hares occur from sea level up to elevations of 2000 m and perhaps 2500 m on the arid north-eastern plateau of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. There is no specific information for this species, but the Abyssinian Hare is suspected to be nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Abyssinian Hare is widespread and locally very abundant in Djibouti. Its distribution may be increasing due to habitat change from overgrazing. Overall population trends are unknown. Basic insight on actual extent of the distribution of the Abyssinian Hare is needed to clarify conservation needs.
Bibliography. Angermann (1983, 2016), Azzaroli-Puccetti (1987a, 1987b), Boitani et al. (1999), Flux & Anger mann (1990), Happold (2013c), Hoffmann & Smith (2005), Smith & Johnston (2008f).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Leporidae, pp. 107-148 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 133, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6625539