Corsican hare
Corsican hare[1] | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Lagomorpha |
Family: | Leporidae |
Genus: | Lepus |
Species: | L. corsicanus
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Binomial name | |
Lepus corsicanus de Winton, 1898
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Corsican hare range |
The Corsican hare (Lepus corsicanus), also known as the Apennine hare or Italian hare, is a species of hare found in southern and central Italy and Corsica.[2]
Taxonomy
It was first described as a species in 1898 by the British zoologist
Description
It is similar to the European hare in appearance, being largely brown with a cream-coloured belly. It differs in having grey rather than white bases to the hairs of the
Distribution and habitat
It is found in maquis shrubland, grassland, cultivated areas and dunes. It is common and widespread on Sicily where it occurs from sea-level up to 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) on Mount Etna. In mainland Italy, its range is more fragmented, extending patchily north to Tuscany on the west coast and Foggia on the east coast. It was introduced to Corsica by humans, probably between the 14th and 17th centuries, and is currently rare there with only a few recent records.[2]
Status and conservation
Its population appears to be declining and it is classified as "
References
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ a b Randi, Ettore (2007) "Phylogeography of South European Mammals", in Weiss, Steven & Nuno Ferrand (2007) Phylogeography of Southern European Refugia, Springer.
- ^ a b Aulagnier S.; P. Haffner, A. J. Mitchell-Jones, F. Moutou & J. Zima (2009) Mammals of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, A&C Black, London.