information on the environment / eolas ar an gcomhshaolWILDLIFE

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Hares and RabbitsHares and rabbits aremammals and they bothbelong to the family calledleporids. Although they havelong front teeth (incisors), likerats and mice, they are notrodents. Along with pikas, asmall animal found in Asia,they form the order ofLagomorphs, the term peopleoften use when they talkabout hares or rabbits.Lagomorphs are distinctive inthat they have a second set ofincisors. Rabbits and haresare similar in some ways butdifferent in others. What theyboth have in common is thatthey are prey animals that relyon hiding or running to evadepredators. Standing uprighton their strong hind legs, theirlong ears and panoramiceyesight alert them to danger.Adult hares are about twicethe size of rabbits but younghares may easily be confusedwith rabbits.All leporids feed onvegetation, such as grass andother plants, which has arelatively low food value.From this they must deriveenough energy to keep warm,move rapidly and rear theiryoung, which they achieve byfrequent browsing. Theirteeth grow continuously to

compensate for the constantwear and tear from nibblingplants into very small pieces.To help them get as manynutrients as possible, leporidshave two types of droppings.One type consists of roundfibrous balls, like thedroppings we see in a field.The other type, calledcaecotrophs, look like a smallbunch of shiny black grapesand contain importantnutrients. These appear afterthe food has first beendigested and we hardly eversee these because the rabbit

or hare eats them as they areproduced. This may seemdistasteful to some of us, butleporids must do this toremain nourished and healthy.Some religions forbid theeating of hares for this reason.Hares and rabbits feature inthe folklore and mythology ofcultures throughout the worldand Ireland is no exception.When people first colonisedIreland after the ice age, theybrought with them pagangods. One of these was themoon goddess Eostre, who

Irish Hare Rabbit

The month of March isassociated with hares, whenfemales may be seen fendingoff or boxing enthusiasticmales. Irish hares may breedthroughout most of the year,having two or three litterswith an average litter size oftwo. Leverets are born fullyfurred with eyes open. Themother hare hides them invegetation and returns onlyonce each night to feed them.It is normal to see a leveret onits own and it should never beremoved from the wild unlessit is in imminent danger.Weaned at six weeks, theyoungster will be old enoughto breed the following year.The Irish hare population hasundergone a dramatic declineover the last thirty years andnumbers are low. It is widelybelieved that changes in landuse and agriculture havecontributed to their demise.Hares prefer unimproved land,which has become lessabundant with modernfarming practices.Overgrazing, overstocking andincreased production of silageall have a detrimental affecton hares and their habitat.Adults are sensitive todisturbance and the young

found only in Ireland. It isregarded as a distinct sub-species of the Mountain orBlue hare (Lepus timidus),which is found in Britain andEurope. However, unlike itsclose relation, the Irish hare isfound in most areas and isnot just confined to mountainregions. The fur of themountain hare turns white inwinter but this is rarelyobserved in its Irish cousin.However, the coat of the Irishhare may vary in colourthroughout the year,sometimes developing whitepatches. On rare occasionsall-white individuals havebeen recorded. Larger thanrabbits, Irish hares have blacktips on the ears, white onboth upper and lowersurfaces of the tail and longback legs that give them adistinctive walk.Although hares may be foundthroughout Ireland frommountainside to coastalgrassland, they are most likelyto be found in unimprovedareas of species richvegetation. This provides notonly food but also cover andshelter where they can lie upduring the day out of sight ofpredators.

was worshiped in the spring.Some cultures could see theimage of a hare (or rabbit)carrying an egg on the moonssurface. The hare wasbelieved to be the earthlyform of Eostre, who gazed upat the moon that was herhome. This lore has not onlygiven us the name of ourpresent Easter holiday butalso Easter eggs and theEaster bunny (originally theEaster hare!).There are three species ofLeporid in Ireland; the Irishhare (Lepus timidushibernicus), the brown hare(Lepus europeaeus, butsometimes referred to asLepus capensis) and the rabbit(Oryctolagus cuniculus). Haresand rabbits have an importantplace in the islandsbiodiversity.

HaresBrown hares were introducedto Ireland by landowners inthe 19th century tosupplement game species forhunting parties. Theseattempts had limited successbecause many hares diedfollowing their journey fromBritain. Also called thethrush hare, this speciessurvived in small pockets andalthough its present status isunknown, they are consideredscarce. There is no evidencethat brown hares interbreedwith, or threaten, our nativeIrish hares. The two speciesare hard to tell apart in thefield and few confirmedrecent sightings of brownhares exist.The Irish hare is one of ourtrue native mammals and is

WILDLIFE / Hares and Rabbits / WL 35

Hare TracksThe tracks of hares can be distinguished from rabbits by their larger size(11-12 cm long). A form is a hare-sized patch of flattened grass oftenwith round fibrous droppings (10-15 mm in size).

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are often regarded as pestsbut they have a veryimportant place in the foodchain and make a majorcontribution to the diet ofother species such asBuzzards and Stoats.Well known for their ability toreproduce, they can haveseveral litters each year fromthe age of around threemonths. With an averagelitter size of six, these highnumbers are balanced by a95% mortality rate in theirfirst year and a life span ofonly 1.5 years (domesticrabbits may live 10 years ormore). Babies are born nakedand blind in a special burrow,or stop, made by the doe.Weaned at four weeks theyleave this burrow to take theirplace in the rabbitcommunity. Their ability tobreed has encouraged theiruse as a laboratory animal fortesting products such ascosmetics, although animaltesting is becomingincreasingly redundant infavour of more humanemethods. Although they havebeen domesticated forcenturies, rabbits still retainmany qualities of their wildancestors and it is possible fora doe of any breed to give

birth to a baby with thenatural agouti fur colour.Contrary to popular belief,rabbits do not make goodchildrens pets. As preyanimals, most do not like tobe picked up and cuddled.They need plenty of space anda suitable environment. Thetraditional rabbit hutch isoutdated and does not allowa rabbit to exhibit naturalbehaviour.Often kept in isolation, thesesocial animals prefer thecompany of their own kind.Young rabbits are verydifficult to sex accurately,which means that buying apair of females may lead toan unexpected (andunwanted) populationexplosion. Juveniles are docileand submissive, but at around3-6 months of age manybecome aggressive. In thewild, rabbits become naturallycompetitive and aggressive asthey mature domesticrabbits are no different.Neutering will resolve manybehavioural and breedingissues.Diet is important to avoidcommon health problems.This means providing aconstant supply of high fibre

may be killed by grass cutting.Short vegetation and theremoval of rushes, hedgerowsand other cover leaves themat higher risk of predation.Some pesticides are known tobe deadly to hares and otherwildlife. Although hares havebeen hunted and coursed forcenturies, nowadays themajority of people believethat these activities are cruel.There is evidence thatcoursing can cause high levelsof stress in hares leading tosickness and death. Withnumbers at dangerously lowlevels, every hare is preciousand the provision of effectivelegal protection underpinsother conservation measures.

RabbitsRabbits were introduced toIreland by the Normans in the12th century and are nowcommon throughout theisland. They were kept inenclosed warrens andexploited as a food supply. ItsLatin name, cuniculus, meansunderground passage andthese adaptable animals maybe found anywhere they canmake burrows, although theyavoid wet areas. The generalpopulation of rabbits remainsrelatively stable althoughnumbers fluctuate locally as aresult of two virulentdiseases, myxomatosis andviral haemorrhagic disease(VHD). These were introducedinto wild rabbit populationsto control their numbers.Domestic rabbits are alsovulnerable to both of thesehighly infectious diseases andowners can arrange effectivevaccination for their pets attheir local veterinary practice.When numbers are high, they

INFORMATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT / EOLAS AR AN GCOMHSHAOL

Rabbit TracksAt 6-9 cm in length, rabbit tracks are smaller than hares and may besuperimposed with fox prints as it stalks its prey. Burrows are 10-20 cmacross and piles of droppings (pellets 7-11 mm in size) may be found inlatrines nearby.

WILDLIFE / Hares and Rabbits / WL 35

Issued by:ENFO The Environmental Information Service,17 St Andrew Street,Dublin 2, Ireland.Tel: (01) 8883910Locall: 1890 200191Fax: (01) 888 3946e-mail: info@enfo.iewww.enfo.ieWrite to or visit our Centre at the aboveaddress or you may check out the ENFOinformation stands at your Local AuthorityOffice / County Library

ENFO is a service of the Department of theEnvironment, Heritage and LocalGovernment.

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material such as hay or grass(not grass clippings frommowing the lawn). Rabbitsare vulnerable animals andrequire a great deal of careand attention. They willrequire as much, if not more,commitment and work as anyother family pet.With a lifespan in captivity ofmore than ten years, rabbitsshould never be bought onimpulse - there are plenty ofrabbits in animal sanctuariesin need of good homes.

Further ReadingAn Irish Beast Book James Fairley ISBN 0856403148A Basket of Weasels James Fairley ISBN 0950262625Animals of IrelandG DArcy ISBN 0862811996The Wild RabbitDavid Cowan ISBN 0713708999Mammals of Britain and EuropeCorbet & Ovenden ISBN 000219774XLinksIrish hare websitewww.irishhare.orgRabbit website www.white-rabbit.infoHare and Rabbit Helpline08707 442285

Mike Rendle 2004

Hares and Rabbits At a GlanceHares RabbitsWidespread but numbers in Widespread and still common butserious decline numbers fluctuate

Adults weigh 2.5 3.5 Kg Adults weigh 1.5 2 Kg

Hares live above ground in a Rabbits live below ground in a seriespatch of flattened vegetation of burrows called a warren.called a form.

Hares prefer to eat certain types Rabbits can adapt to different typesof grass and vegetation. of vegetation.

Hares do not breed in their Rabbits can breed from the agefirst year. of three months

Hares may breed throughout Rabbits breed between Januarymost of the year. and August.

A female will only have A female may have aroundaround 8 leverets in a year. 45 young in a year.

Born fully furred with eyes Born naked with eyes closed.open. Hides in long grass and Mother digs special burrow or stopvegetation. Mother feeds only and returns once each night to once at night with milk for feed with milk for around 4 weeks.around 6 weeks.

Young hares are called leverets Young rabbits are called kittens and and weigh around 120 grams weigh around 50 grams at birth.at birth.

Hares probably only live for Rabbits live for around 1.5 years inabout 3 years in the wild. the wild. A mere 5% survive the firstOnly 25% of leverets survive the year.first year.

Very little is known about the Rabbits are susceptible toimpact of disease on Irish hares. Myxomatosis and Viral

Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) both of which are usually fatal.