Burmese hare

The English zoologist Edward Blyth described the Burmese hare, Lepus peguensis, in 1855. The specimen he described was a skin sent from Bago Region, Myanmar (then known as the Pegu province) by Major Arthur Purves Phayre. He thus gave it the species name peguensis after the region it was found in. The skin was suspected to belong to the Chinese hare (Lepus sinensis); Blyth noted its similarity to the Indian hare (Lepus nigricollis) but distinguished it based on its white underparts and black upper tail.^[4] The Hainan hare (L. hainanus) was considered synonymous with the Burmese hare from 1955 up until 2005.^[3] The genetic differences and similarities between the two species have yet to be clarified.^[5]

Two subspecies are recognised:^[3]

• Lepus peguensis peguensis Blyth, 1855
• Lepus peguensis vassali Thomas, 1906

The subspecies Lepus peguensis siamensis is a synonym of the nominate subspecies L. p. peguensis,^[3] but since 2016 has been under consideration to be separated out as a unique species. The differences between Burmese hare subspecies have been described as clinal and potentially "arbitrary and unreasonable".^[1]

The Burmese hare is a medium-sized species that closely resembles the Indian hare (L. nigricollis).^[5] Adults grow to a length of 35 to 50 centimetres (14 to 20 in)^[1] and weigh between 2 and 2.5 kilograms (4.4 and 5.5 lb).^[6] The long ears have black tips, the dorsal surface of the body is reddish-grey tinged with black, the rump is rather greyer and the underparts are white. The tail is white above and black below and the feet are white in individuals from Burma and reddish-brown or yellowish-brown in those from Thailand.^[7]

The range of the Burmese hare extends from southern Myanmar, south of the Chindwin River, to northern parts of the Malay Peninsula, including Thailand, Cambodia, southern Laos and southern Vietnam.^[1] It is mainly a lowland species but has been recorded as high as 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in the mountains of Thailand although other surveys have not found it higher than 800 metres (2,600 ft) elsewhere. Its typical habitats are cropland and dry wasteland, clearings in forests and coastal sandy areas.^[6] It is common in seasonally-inundated riverside flats, and is present in rice fields cultivated in a traditional manner while avoiding heavily irrigated, intensively-grown paddies.^[1]

The Burmese hare is a nocturnal and crepuscular species. It feeds on grass, twigs and bark. It is territorial.^[5]

Several litters of one to seven young are born each year. The young are altricial, being born with open eyes and completely furred. The hare's gestation period lasts thirty-five to forty days. During the breeding season, aggression between individuals increases dramatically; biting, forelimb boxing, and hind limb kicking is reported.^[5] Its average lifespan is estimated to be six years.^[1]

Threats faced by the Burmese hare include the increased cultivation of irrigated rice paddies, which results in unsuitable habitat, and being hunted extensively for food. In Laos and Vietnam, the hare's habitat is often burned during the dry season from February to May.^[5] However, the hare has a wide distribution and is common within this range. Its population is stable, or even possibly increasing in places where logging results in favourable scrubby habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as a least concern species.^[1]