Monday, August 02, 2010

Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet. I'm Hunting Wabbits!

Except that these might be Hares.

Maybe they are Eastern Cottontails.


OK, some of my readers will think wild hares (rabbits, cottontails)  are a big ho-hum.  But in the 31 years I've lived in Cambridge, I've never before seen wild hares (rabbits, cottontails) in urban areas.  Now suddenly there are two just between Lamont and Houghton Libraries.  I also spotted one on the lawn of a church near my home.

The Houghton people call the grown-up the Houghton Bunny and the baby Artie, after Arthur Houghton.  However, there is already a movement at  Lamont to sue for custody.






Leporidae (cohort Glires, order Lagomorpha)


The family that includes the rabbits, cottontails, and hares. These are lagomorphs in which the tail is reduced, the hind legs are modified for jumping, and the ears are usually long. Rabbits are adapted for burrowing, and their young are born in burrows, naked and blind. Hares are born above ground, their eyes open, and fully furred. Cottontails do not burrow, but may use burrows dug by other animals. There are eight genera. They are distributed widely throughout the Holarctic region, where they are highly successful (there are more than 30 species), but are less common in Africa (about eight species) and S. America (two species).

How to cite this entry:
"Leporidae"  A Dictionary of Zoology. Ed. Michael Allaby. Oxford University Press 2009. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Harvard University Library.  3 August 2010  

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