Thai National Parks

Species of Thailand

Burmese hare

Lepus peguensis

Edward Blyth, 1855

The Burmese hare (Lepus peguensis) is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Three subspecies are recognised; L. p. peguensis, L. p. siamensis and L. p. vassali.

Description

The Burmese hare is a small to moderate sized species with adults growing to a length of 35 to 50 cm and weighing between 2 and 2.5 kg. 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.

Distribution and habitat

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. It is mainly a lowland species but has been recorded as high as 1300 m in the mountains of Thailand although other surveys have not found it higher than 800 m elsewhere. Its typical habitats are cropland and dry wasteland, clearings in forests and coastal sandy areas. 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.

Biology

The Burmese hare is nocturnal and feeds on grass, twigs and bark. Several litters of young, averaging three or four, are borne in a year after a gestation period of about thirty-seven days. The average lifespan is estimated to be six years.

Status

Threats faced by the Burmese hare include the increased cultivation of irrigated rice paddies, which results in unsuitable habitat, and being hunted for food. However the hare has a wide range and is a common animal. The population is stable, or even possibly increasing in places where logging results in favourable scrubby habitat, so the International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists its conservation status as being of "least concern".

This article uses material from Wikipedia released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike Licence 3.0. Eventual photos shown in this page may or may not be from Wikipedia, please see the license details for photos in photo by-lines.

Scientific classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Lagomorpha
Family
Leporidae
Genus
Lepus
Species
Lepus peguensis

Common names

  • English:
    • Burmese hare
    • Siamese hare

Synonyms

  • Lepus siamensis, John James Lewis Bonhote (1902)

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Photos

Please help us review our species pages if wrong photos are used or any other details in the page is wrong. We can be reached via our contact us page.

Burmese hare
Burmese hare area

Range Map

Distribution map of Burmese hare, Lepus peguensis in Thailand
  • Cha-Am District, Phetchaburi
  • Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park
  • Erawan National Park
  • Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan
  • Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Kaeng Krachan District, Phetchaburi
  • Kaeng Krachan National Park
  • Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park
  • Khao Yai National Park
  • Kui Buri National Park
  • Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, Nakhon Sawan
  • Mueang Phetchaburi District, Phetchaburi
  • Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park
  • Tha Yang District, Phetchaburi
  • Thap Lan National Park
  • Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi
Range map of Lepus peguensis in Thailand