Habitat: Spring hares breed year round. Each female produces a single young once a twice a year. The young is born with its eyes open and a complete coat of fur. It is very active at birth, but it remains in the burrow, completely dependent on its mother, until it is half grown, at approximately one month. At that time,. the young begins to leave the burrow at night to forage with its mother. Although it is not fully grown at this stage, its feet and ears have almost reached their adult size.

Breeding: Spring hares breed year round. Each female produces a single young once or twice a year. The young is born with its eyes open and a complete coat of fur. It is very active at birth, but it remains in the burrow, completely dependent on its mother, until it is half grown at approximately one month. At the time, the young begins to leave the burrow at night to forage with its mother. Although it is not fully grown at this stage, its feet and ears have almost reached their adult size.

Food & Feeding: Spring hares feed at night, which is when they are also most active. They forage in groups of two to six to be more alert to the approach of predators. In addition to grass, they dig up and eat tubers and roots when other food is in short supply. Spring hares may also eat insects. In cultivated areas, hares eat corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and wheat. They also eat certain soils that are rich in minerals in a manner similar to other herbivores (plant eaters) that lick natural salt formations.

Hare & Man: Spring hares are hunted for food and their fur. A single group of bushmen amy catch as many as 200 spring hares every year. As the bushmen become less numerous and move into populated areas, fewer hares will be hunted. Today they are routinely hunted when their foraging on cultivated land threatens crops. An African bushmen digs out the spring hares from its burrows.

Did you know?
A spring hare cam completely close it ears so that it can keep out sand when it is burrowing.
Bushmen eat most of the spring hare, including the eyes, brain and stomach contents.
The spring hares greatest rivals for food are domesticated animals, especially goats.
Spring hares are the only species in their family. They have been found outside Africa.

Sizes:
Length: Body, 14 to 17 in tail, 16-20 in.
Weight: 6-9 lbs.

Breeding:
Sexual maturity: Not known, probably 1 year.
Mating: Year round, 1 to 2 births per female each year.
Gestation: 77 days.
No of young: 1

Lifestyle:
Habit: Males Solitary in burrows; females live with young. Forage in small groups of 2 to 6.
Diet: Grasses, roots, tubers, and seeds. In cultivated areas, eats peanuts, corn, and wheat.
Lifespan: 14 years in captivity.

Related Species: None in the same family. Scalytailed squirrels are thought to be its closest relatives.
Distribution: Throughout eastern and southern Africa of dry steppes grasslands, and flood plains.
Conservation: Conservation measures are not necessary as spring hares are numerous and widespread over most of their range. However, numbers have decreased in areas where food is scare due to overgrazing by domestic livestock.

Features of the Spring Hare:
The spring hare's specially adapted long hind legs and balancing tail help it move very quickly.
The srping haares strong hind legs are about four ties as long as the front legs, which have claws shaped for digging in loose soil. It hops along using its hind feet, keeping its body horizontal, and covering the ground in long, low leaps of three of four yards. The longest jumps recorded are 30 feet.
 

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