Leporidae - rabbits, hares
There are about 62 species in this family. They are native species in all parts of the world, except for Australia and Antarctica. While there are no native species in Australia, some species have been introduced. Rabbits and hares are found in a variety of habitats including deserts, forests, the tundra, swamps, and grasslands.
Rabbits and hares have soft fur, long ears, short tails, and powerful rear legs that they use to hop and jump. Hares are usually larger than rabbits. They have longer ears that are black-tipped ears and are born with fur and with their eyes open. Rabbits are born blind and hairless! Females in this order are larger than males. Rabbits and hares are herbivores.
World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.
US Status Key
Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game
Additional Information
Key: Profile Photos Video Audio
Alaskan Hare - Lepus othus
Alaskan hares are the largest hare species in North America.
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Amami Rabbit - Pentalagus furnessi
The Amami rabbit is found only on the Japanese islands of Amami-Oshima and Tokuno-Shima. they have small ears, a very small tail, and very long claws.
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Amami Rabbit - Pentalagus furnessi
The Amami rabbit is found in dense old-growth forests.
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Annamite Striped Rabbit - Nesolagus timminsi
The Annamite striped rabbit is found in Laos and Vietnam.
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Antelope Jackrabbit - Lepus alleni
The antelope jackrabbit, is along the western coast of Mexico and in southern Arizona.
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Appalachian Cottontail - Sylvilagus obscurus
Appalachian cottontails are found in forests and brushy areas at high elevations of the Appalachian Mountains, from the Hudson River in New York to northern Alabama.
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Arctic Hare - Lepus arcticus
The Arctic hare is found in Canada and Greenland.
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Arctic Hare - Lepus arcticus
The Arctic hare has large, heavily padded feet.
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Black Jackrabbit - Lepus insularis
The blank jackrabbit is found on Espiritu Santo Island in the Gulf of California, Mexico.
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Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Lepus californicus
The black-tailed jackrabbit is found is found throughout the southwestern United States into Mexico, as far east as Missouri, north into Washington, Idaho, Colorado and Nebraska, and west to California and Baja California.
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Broom Hare - Lepus castroviejoi
The broom hare is found in northern Spain in the Cantabrian Mountains.
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Broom Hare - Lepus castroviejoi
The broom hare is active at night and is rarely seen during the day.
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Brush Rabbit - Sylvilagus bachmani
The brush rabbit is found from Oregon south to Baja, California in Mexico .
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Bunyoro Rabbit - Poelagus marjorita
The Bunyoro rabbit is found in Congo, Sudan, and Uganda.
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Cape Hare - Lepus capensis
The Cape hare is found in Algeria, Bahrain, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cyprus, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
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Cape Hare - Lepus capensis
The Cape hare is found in non-forested areas.
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Desert Cottontail - Sylvilagus audubonii
The desert cottontail is found throughout much of southwestern North America, from northern Montana down to central Mexico, and as far west as the Pacific coast.
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Eastern Cottontail - Sylvilagus floridanus
The eastern cottontail has a large range that stretches from southern Manitoba and Quebec to Central and northwestern South America.
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European Hare - Lepus europaeus
The European hare is found across Europe and the Middle East and has been introduced to North America, South America, and Australia.
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European Hare - Lepus europaeus
The European hare is found in open fields and pastures.
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European Rabbit - Oryctolagus cuniculus
The European rabbit is found in western Europe and northern Africa, and it has been introduced to Australia and South America.
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European Rabbit - Oryctolagus cuniculus
The European rabbit prefers habitats in dry areas near sea level with soft, sandy soil that is easy to burrow into.
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Hispid Hare - Caprolagus hispidus
The Hispid hare is found in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.
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Hispid Hare - Caprolagus hispidus
The Hispid hare has two layers of fur: a coarse, bristly, outer layer, and an under layer which is shorter and finer.
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Indian Hare - Lepus nigricollis
The Indian hare is found in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
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Indian Hare - Lepus nigricollis
The Indian hare has a patch of black fur that runs along the nape of its neck
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Marsh Rabbit - Sylvilagus palustris
The marsh rabbit is found in the southeastern United States.
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Mountain Cottontail - Sylvilagus nuttallii
The mountain cottontail is found in the western part of the United States.
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Mountain Hare - Lepus timidus
The mountain hare is found in Austria, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
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Mountain Hare - Lepus timidus
Mountain hares are nocturnal.
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New England Cottontail - Sylvilagus transitionalis
The New England cottontail is found in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
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Pygmy Rabbit - Brachylagus idahoensis
Pygmy rabbits are found in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
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Riverine Rabbit - Bunolagus monticularis
The riverine rabbit is found in South Africa.
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Riverine Rabbit - Bunolagus monticularis
The riverine rabbit has black stripe running from the corner of its mouth over its cheek, a brown woolly tail, and cream-colored fur on its belly and throat.
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Scrub Hare - Lepus saxatilis
The scrub hare is found in the savanna woodland and scrub areas of Africa.
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Smith's Red Rock Hare - Pronolagus rupestris
The red rock hare is found in the eastern Rift Valley in Kenya, Zambia, eastern Rhodesia, South Africa and South-west Africa in rocky habitats.
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Snowshoe Hare - Lepus americanus
The snowshoe hare is found across Canada and in Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
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Snowshoe Hare - Lepus americanus
During the winter, the snowshoe hare is almost entirely white, except for black eyelids and blackened tips on its ears.
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Sumatran Striped Rabbit - Nesolagus netscheri
The Sumatran striped rabbit is found in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra.
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Sumatran Striped Rabbit - Nesolagus netscheri
The Sumatran striped rabbit lives in forests.
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Swamp Rabbit - Sylvilagus aquaticus
The swamp rabbit is found in most of the south-central United States and the Gulf coast.
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Tapeti - Sylvilagus brasiliensis
The tapeti is found from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
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tehuantepec Jackrabbit - Lepus flavigularis
The tehuantepec jackrabbit is found in Mexico.
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Tres Marias Cottontail - Sylvilagus graysoni
The Tres Marias cottontail is only found on the Tres Marias Islands off of the coast of Mexico.
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Volcano Rabbit - Romerolagus diazi
The volcano rabbit is found in Mexico.
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Volcano Rabbit - Romerolagus diazi
The volcano rabbit is the only member of Leporidae family that is known to vocalize.
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White-sided Jackrabbit - Lepus callotis
The white-sided jackrabbit is found in Arizona and Mexico.
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White-sided Jackrabbit - Lepus callotis
The white-sided jackrabbit is most active at night or at dusk.
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White-tailed Jackrabbit - Lepus townsendii
The white-tailed jackrabbit is found in California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Canada.
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White-tailed Jackrabbit - Lepus townsendii
White-tailed jackrabbits prefer open grasslands.
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Woolly Hare - Lepus oiostolus [in[
The woolly hare is found at high altitudes in the Tibetan plateau in western/southwestern China, India, and northern Nepal.
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