Smith's red rock hare

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Smith's red rock hare

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Pronolagus
Species:
P. rupestris
Binomial name
Pronolagus rupestris
(A. Smith, 1834)[2]
Subspecies[3]
  • P. r. curryi Thomas, 1902
  • P. r. nyikae Thomas, 1902
  • P. r. rupestris Smith, 1834
  • P. r. saundersiae
     Hewitt, 1927
  • P. r. vallicola Kershaw, 1924
Smith's red rock hare range
Synonyms[3]
  • barretti Roberts, 1949
  • bowkeri Hewitt, 1927
  • australis Roberts, 1933
  • melanuris Ruppel, 1842
  • mulleri Roberts, 1938

Smith's red rockhare,

IUCN Red List of Endangered Species
.

Taxonomy

Scottish

Swahili, its name is sungura mwekundu or kitengule.[9]

The number of accepted subspecies has ranged from zero to eight. One classification from the 1940s accepted the following subspecies:[10]

  • P. r. rupestris (A. Smith, 1834)
  • P. r. melanurus (Rüppell, 1842)
  • P. r. nyikae (Thomas, 1902)[11]
  • P. r. curryi (Thomas, 1902)[11]
  • P. r. saundersiae Hewitt, 1927
  • P. r. australis Roberts, 1933
  • P. r. mulleri Roberts, 1938
  • P. r. whitei Roberts, 1938
  • P. r. barretti Roberts, 1949

Another classification from the 1980s had the following subspecies; differences came from moving whitei to P. randensis, including fitzsimonsi, and treating mulleri as a synonym of australis:[12]

  • P. r. rupestris (A. Smith, 1834)
  • P. r. melanurus (Rüppell, 1842)
  • P. r. curryi (Thomas, 1902)
  • P. r. saundersiae Hewitt, 1927
  • P. r. australis Roberts, 1933
  • P. r. fitzsimonsi Roberts, 1938
  • P. r. barbetti Roberts, 1949

In the third edition of Mammal Species of the World published in 2005, R. S. Hoffman and A. T. Smith listed Smith's red rock hare (Pronolagus rupestris) as a separate species and included five subspecies.[3]

The taxonomic status of the east African Smith's red rock hare is uncertain. It is treated

nominate subspecies.[5] Mammals of Africa does not recognize any subspecies and rather that curryi, fitzsimonsi, melanurus, mülleri, nyikae, and vallicola are all just synonyms of P. rupestris.[13]

Description

The Smith's red rock hare is the smallest member of the genus

underfur.[4][17] The feet pads are covered by dense, greasy fur.[17] The digits and claws are short and broad, and the limbs are russet,[4] and the frontal bone measures almost the same as the snout.[6] Possibly due to its diet, its flesh is aromatic.[4]

It is similar to the Jameson's red rock hare (

P. randensis) which has shorter ears and a longer tail, and the Hewitt's red rock hare (P. saundersiae) which has a shorter snout bone than the frontal bone.[6] (The latter is regarded as P. r. saundersiae by some authorities.[3]
)

Distribution and habitat

The Smith's red rock hare is native to Africa, found in parts of Kenya (Rift Valley), Lesotho, Malawi, eastern Zimbabwe, South Africa (Northern Cape, Free State, and North West), Tanzania, and Zambia.[1][9][4] It occurs on rocky slopes and tops of rocky outcrops, in stony countries where grass, rocks, and bush are intermingled. It inhabits ravines with boulders, hillsides, slabs of stones, and rock creaks which provide cover from predators.[1][4]

Behaviour and ecology

While a nocturnal species, Smith's red rock hare occasionally comes out during early morning or late afternoon in places where it is not hunted.[9] It is alert at most times, and usually hides prior to being seen. It can also exhibit rapid, startling manoeuvres which are depicted when chased by dogs.[4] The Smith's red rock is observed to vocalize a series of loud, startling screams when running away at night,[18] possibly to scare away predators or to warn other members of the species of potential threat.[4] Despite not being restrained or in pain, it is known to produce shrill voices, contrary to most other leporids. The juvenile can produce churring sounds when caught in hand, and the adult can produce a barking sound when disturbed before sunrise.[18]

It is a

altricial at birth,[6] and leave the nest at three years of age, when they weigh about 180 to 200 g (6.3 to 7.1 oz).[15] Although observed to be secluded, the Smith's red rock hare associate closely with dassies.[4]

Conservation

Since 1996, the Smith's red rock hare has been rated as a species of '

Springbok. There is no data about the status of its east African range.[1]

Hunting poses a threat to the species and, although not considered to be a severe threat, it is also adversely affected from habitat destruction due to the building of houses on rocky outcrops. Since the 1900s to 2000, more than 20% habitat loss has occurred, and if the

wildlife refuges in South Africa, and is also protected as a game species by provincial nature conservation agencies, seasonally.[1]

It occurs in Lavushi Manda National Park in Zambia.[7][8]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41295A45190415.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Smith, A. (1834). "An Epitome of African Zoology; or, A Concise Description of the Objects of the Animal Kingdom Inhabiting Africa, its Islands and Seas". South African Quarterly Journal. Second Series. 2 (3): 174–175.
  3. ^
    OCLC 62265494
    .
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Sekine, R. (2000). "Pronolagus rupestris (Smith's red rockhare)". Animal Diversity Web. Archived from the original on 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  5. ^
    PMID 8666547
    .
  6. ^
    ISBN 9781408189962
    .
  7. ^ a b "Wildlife in Lavushi Manda". Lavushi Manda. Kasanka Trust. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b Kapambwe, Mazuba (5 April 2018). "The Most Beautiful Hiking Trails in Northern Zambia". The Culture Trip. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  9. ^
    ISBN 9781400852802
    .
  10. ^ Ellerman, J. R.; Morrison-Scott, T. C. S.; Hayman, R. W. (1953). "Pronolagus rupestris A. Smith, 1834". Southern African Mammals 1758 to 1951: A Reclassification. London: Tonbridge. pp. 221–222.
  11. ^
    doi:10.1080/00222930208678665
    .
  12. ISBN 0907990061
    .
  13. ISBN 978-1-4081-8992-4
    .
  14. ^ Watson, V. (1993). "Glimpses from Gondolin: a faunal analysis of a fossil site near Broederstroom, Transvaal, South Africa". Palaeontologia Africana. 30.
  15. ^
    ISBN 9780521844185
    .
  16. ^
    ISBN 9781868725373
    .
  17. ^
    ISBN 9780226437200
    .
  18. ^ a b "Pronolagus rupestris - Smith's red rock hare (Species)". wildpro.twycrosszoo.org. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2017-09-01.

External links

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