The spring hare, also known by its Afrikaans name “springhaas,” is a distinctive mammal native to Africa, recognized for its unique hopping movement. Its name, meaning “jumping hare,” directly references its powerful jumping ability.
Appearance and Where They Live
The spring hare possesses long, rabbit-like ears, large eyes, and a thick, muscular neck that supports its short head. Its powerful hind legs are much longer than its short front limbs, enabling its characteristic bipedal movement. It also has a long, bushy tail, which can be up to 40 centimeters long, providing balance during its leaps. Its fur typically ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown on its upper body, often with a white underside. A small flap of skin at the base of each ear can close to prevent sand from entering while digging, and its nostrils can also close for the same purpose.
Spring hares are primarily found across Southern and East Africa, with a scattered distribution that includes countries like South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, extending northward into Kenya and the southern Democratic Republic of Congo. These animals prefer open, arid habitats with sandy soils, such as savannas, grasslands, and semi-deserts. They can also be found in areas altered by human activity, including cattle grazing lands and cultivated fields.
Daily Life and Habits
Spring hares are nocturnal, spending their days resting within complex burrow systems they dig themselves. They often plug the entrance to their burrows with soil from the inside once they are settled. While generally solitary animals, females may share burrows with their young. Sometimes, concentrations of 30 to 40 individuals are found in an area, with their burrows potentially linked.
Their diet primarily consists of plant matter such as grasses, roots, rhizomes, corms, stems, and seeds. They will seek out green grasses for their protein and water content. They can also include insects in their diet.
When foraging, spring hares typically move on all fours, but they sit upright on their hind feet and tail to manipulate food with their forefeet while eating. When alarmed, they can travel quickly in erratic leaps, covering distances of 2 to 3 meters (6.6 to 9.8 feet) in a single bound, using their long tail for balance. During severe droughts, they have been observed traveling 10 to 20 kilometers a night in search of food and water.
Conservation and Unique Identity
The spring hare is currently listed as a species of “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, indicating a relatively stable population across its range. Despite this, localized population declines do occur due to various threats. Habitat loss from human settlement, ranching, and fencing of land poses a challenge to spring hare populations. They are also hunted for bushmeat in some regions, and agricultural practices can lead to conflicts where they are perceived as pests for consuming crops like sweet potatoes, groundnuts, pumpkins, and maize shoots.
Despite its common name, the spring hare (scientifically known as Pedetes capensis or Pedetes surdaster) is not a true hare or rabbit. Hares and rabbits belong to the order Lagomorpha, while the spring hare is actually a rodent, belonging to its own unique family, Pedetidae. This distinction highlights its unique evolutionary lineage. The spring hare’s bipedal form and hopping gait have led to comparisons with kangaroos.