Ethiopian hare

Description

The Ethiopian hare (Lepus fagani) is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It was first described in 1903, by the British mammalogist Oldfield Thomas. The dorsal pelage is brownish buff, and is finely grizzled with black. The ventral pelage is fluffy and white in colour. Endemic to Ethiopia, it is found in the Afromontane Biozone of Ethiopia, and in the borders of the Sudanian Savanna Biozone. It is rated as a least concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Ethiopian hare is a medium-sized, dark coloured hare, which measures 45 to 54 cm (18 to 21 in) in length. It has a medium-sized, 5 to 8.2 cm (2.0 to 3.2 in) long, fluffy tail which is buff-white below, black above, and buff coloured at the sides. The skull measures 8.33 to 9 cm (3.28 to 3.54 in) in length. The supraorbital wings are weak and small. The anterior shoulders of the cheek bone are large. It has long, dense, coarse pelage. The dorsal hairs are 2 to 2.5 cm (0.79 to 0.98 in) long. They are brownish buff, and are finely grizzled with black. The fur is pale grey at the base, and have buff terminal bands, whitish subterminal bands, and generally black tips. The underfur is whitish grey. The head is darker than the dorsal pelage, and the crown (top of the head) is blacker. The chin, belly, and throat are white. It has grey below the chin. The ventral pelage is fluffy and white in colour. The upperparts are buff ochraceous brown. The colour of the chest and the nape (back of the neck) are tawny. The rich cinnamon-ginger colour of the nuchal patch, extends on to the neck-sides. The ears are medium-sized, buff coloured, and measure 8.1 to 9.5 cm (3.2 to 3.7 in) in length. The lower outer-margins of the ears have buff or white fringe, the upper outer-margins have buff fringe, and the inner surfaces of the tip of the ears have narrow, black rims. The principal incisor teeth have deep grooves filled completely with cement. The dorsal parts of the upper incisor teeth are sloped laterally, forming an angled anterior surface. The forefeet are cinnamon-brown and have blackish brown furs at the soles. The hindfeet are white below, brownish buff above, and measure 9 to 11 cm (3.5 to 4.3 in) in length. The soles of the hindfeet have ginger-brown or blackish brown fur.