Hare-like - a detachment of mammals. Two families belong to it: hare and alpine. Representatives of the squad are hares, rabbits and pikas. There are about 60 species in total. Despite the fact that they have sharp teeth, they are not classified as rodents. Harebirds have a small body size and a short tail.
History reference
To separate these mammals into a separate detachment was proposed by the American paleontologist and zoologist J.W. Guideley, who noted a number of specific characteristics. Despite the fact that hares are often compared with rodents, historically they are more likely to have evolved from primitive ungulates.
It is believed that the ancestor of hares lived in East Asia.
External characteristic
Order rabbit-like - animals with a small physique. Their constantly growing teeth are similar in structure to the teeth of rodents, however, they have 2 pairs of incisors instead of one, unlike the latter. Representatives of the rabbit-like species have a special arrangement of the bony palate - a transverse bridge between two rows of molars. The stomach consists of 2 sections, in one of which there is bacterial fermentation, in the other - food processing by the enzyme - pepsin. Hares have no fangs, and incisors and molars are separated by a diastema.
Families of the order rabbit-like and rabbit.
Lifestyle, distribution and reproduction
They live on the earth, swim badly. You can meet them in the forests, steppes, tundra. Some prefer open areas, others hide in dense thickets. They can lead a solitary lifestyle or gather in groups, digging holes. The rabbit-like squad is distributed throughout the world, thanks to man. Although before they did not populate South America, Madagascar and Australia. Today in Australia, hares are a real problem, as they have flooded the entire continent due to the lack of enemies and good living conditions.
In the diet of the representatives of the order rabbit includes the bark of trees, leaves, grass. Berries, ferns and lichens may also be included. Sometimes they eat their own excrement (coprophages) to replenish the supply of fiber-breaking proteins in the cecum.
Hares are characterized by rapid breeding and high fecundity. Some of them dig burrows to protect offspring. In this case, the cubs are usually born blind, naked and helpless and remain so for several weeks. In most cases, the offspring are sighted, pubescent and capable of independent movement within a few hours.
Pies have low fecundity. The cubs that are born become sexually mature only after about a year.
Hazard protection
The rabbit squad is vulnerable and has a sufficient number of enemies, so they must defend themselves. In this they are helped by the ears - an excellent locator that allows you to catch suspicious sounds at long distances. Hearing the noise, the hares run to the shelter, where they wait a while. The structure of the eyes also plays an important role. They are located in such a way that its owner can see from the side and even from behind, without turning his head. In addition, the hare's hind legs are adapted to run fast and allow them to reach speeds of up to 80 km / h, thus escaping from predators.
The skin of the representatives of the hare-like squad is fragile, it easily leaves the body, therefore, if the enemy manages to catch and catch the hare and grabs the skin with his teeth, then only a few shreds of fur will be ripped out, while the hare can safely run further.
It is also difficult for predators to smell hares, because they have poorly developed skin glands. Because of this, they cannot regulate body heat and overheat. Only their ears save them: the blood flowing through them cools instantly.
The main enemies of hares are foxes, lynxes and owls.
Hare
This is a family of rabbit-like order, which includes hares and rabbits. A total of about 30 species, including 2 minerals. One of them is the giant Menorca hare, who lived on the island of Menorca more than 5 million years ago and weighed 12 kilograms.
This family inhabits everywhere except Antarctica.
