In lagomorphs the upper toothrows are farther apart than the lower toothrows. The jaw movements of pikas, rabbits, and hares are vertical or transverse. All members of this order are terrestrial. Pikas, with the shortest ears and legs of any lagomorph, have only to drop off a rock into a crevice to hide when an enemy approaches. Rabbits and hares, with much longer ears and legs, rely primarily on swift running to escape from danger.
Lagomorphs eat only vegetation.
Grasses and other herbaceous plants are usually preferred, but when food is scarce they eat the bark of young trees and shrubs and even small stems of shrubs. They have a remarkable provision for obtaining the maximum value from their food. The moist pellets are swallowed with little or no chewing, so most of the food travels through the digestive tract twice. The Johns Hopkins University Press. All rights reserved.