-Rabbits, Hares and Pikas Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan Compiled and edited by Joseph A. Chapman and John E.C. Flux IUCN/SSC Lagomorph Specialist Group Rabbits, Hares and Pikas Status Survey and Action Plan Compiled and edited by Joseph A. Chapman and John E.C. Flux IUCN/SSC Lagomorph Specialist Group of Oman Foreword The IUCN/SSC Lagomorph Specialist Group was constituted The Lagomorph Group, building on its good start, soon as- in as part of a determined effort by the Species Survival sumed responsibility for providing the information necessary Commission to broaden the base of its activities by incorporat- for preparing and updating lagomorph entries in the Red Data ing a large number of new Groups into its membership. By the Book and for submissions to the Convention on International end of 1979, the Lagomorph Group had attracted from Europe, Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Pacific 19 highly motivated (CITES). It holds a strong position against the introduction of biologists with a concern for problems of conservation of the eastern cottontail to Europe, and has gomorphs in their respective lands, and a willingness to do willingly participated in discussions on the subject when re- something about them. quested. The Group also continues to take the lead in keeping In August 1979, the young Group held its inaugural meeting lagomorphs on conference agenda at international meetings, at the University of Guelph, Ontario, in conjunction with the and has widened its in recent years to look at the status first World Lagomorph Conference. The conference empha- of some of the lesser known races or subspecies of the more sized the importance of lagomorphs in world systems and the common lagomorphs. Proceedings were later published under the auspices of IUCN Lagomorphs are relatively small mammals and do not in a valuable volume distributed by the University. excite the curiosity and appeal of some of their larger kind. The Lagomorph Specialist Group reviewed for the first There has thus never been much financial support for time the status of the worlds’ lagomorphs, critically examined conservation. But they are of critical importance in those species which appeared to require attention, and listed world ecosystems and I applaud the action taken by the Species important decisions for future conservation action concerning Survival Commission in setting up this Group when it did. I am the volcano rabbit diazi (Mexico), riverine rabbit particularly pleased that IUCN has agreed to fund this publica- (South Africa), hispid hare tion of the Lagomorph Specialist Group Action Plan. The hispidus (India and Nepal), Sumatran rabbit achievement of main objectives depends to a large (Indonesia) and Amami rabbit (Japan). extent on the continued activities of small teams of dedicated Emphasis was placed on the need for a comprehensive people like those who constitute this Group; the publication review of hares and for the development of programs for will give them an opportunity to say what they are trying to do. monitoring lagomorphs and their habitat wherever required. The need to bring these matters to the attention of Govern- ments was given high priority. Project proposals resulting from these deliberations were submitted to the Commission for Ken Myers inclusion in the IUCN Conservation Programme for Sustain- Foundation Chairman able Development. IUCN/SSC Lagomorph Specialist Group Editors’ Notes and Acknowledgements This action plan and review of the status of the world’s Steve Humphrey of the Florida State Museum and Don gomorphs would not have been possible without the efforts of Wilson of the United States National Museum provided infor- many people and organisations. This work is truly collaborative mation about some of the little known Finally, the in nature and although individuals are listed for each chapter, patience and support of Simon Stuart is gratefully acknowl- credit for the entire action plan must be shared. Section Three edged, as is the generous support of WWF The World Wide is the result of the efforts of all of the listed authors, although Fund for Nature in funding this publication in particular and we make special mention of Andrew Smith whose efforts on the the SSC Action Planning Programme in general. Ochotona were immense. Brad Quayle prepared the maps and figures. Lori Samson and Cindy Howard helped prepare the manuscript. We are grateful to William Oliver for use of his painting of the volcano Joseph A. Chapman and John E.C. Flux rabbit as a frontispiece. Editors 111 Authors’ Addresses and Affiliations Renate Angermann John E.C. Flux Andrew T. Smith Museum fur Naturkunde der Dept. of Scientific Industrial Research Department of Zoology Humbold-Universitat Land Resources Arizona State University Invalidenstrasse 43 Private Bag Tempe, AZ 85287 104 Berlin Lower Hutt UNITED STATES GERMANY NEW ZEALAND Simon Stuart Diana J. Bell Nikolai A. Formozov SSC Executive Office University of East Anglia Department of Vertebrate Zoology IUCN School of Biological Sciences Faculty of Biology Avenue du Mont-Blanc Norwich NR4 7TJ Moscow State University 1196 Gland UNITED KINGDOM Moscow 119899, SWITZERLAND SOVIET UNION G. Ceballos Ken Sugimura Centro de R.K. Ghose Kansai Research Centre Mammal and Osteology Section Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Apdo. Postal 70-275 Zoological Survey of India Mexico, D.F. 04510 8 Lindsay Street Kvoto 612 MEXICO Calcutta, 70016 JAPAN INDIA Joseph A. Chapman Zheng Changlin Office of the Dean John A. Gibb Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology College of Natural Resources 3 Wairere Road Academia Utah State University Belmont Xining, Qinghai 810001 Logan, UT 843225200 Lower Hutt PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA UNITED STATES NEW ZEALAND Ken R. Dixon Robert S. Department of Game Smithsonian Institution 600 N. Capital Way 1000 Jefferson Drive, S.W. Olympia, WA 98504 Washington DC 20560 UNITED STATES UNITED STATES F.C. Dobler Ken Myers Department of Game 14 Close 600 N. Capital Way Belmont North Olympia, WA 98504 N.S.W. 2280 UNITED STATES AUSTRALIA Andrew G. Duthie William L.R. Oliver Mammal Research Institute Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust University of Pretoria Les Augres Manor Pretoria 0002 Jersey, Channel Islands SOUTH AFRICA UNITED KINGDOM Margarita Erbajeva Terry Robinson Siberian Department Mammal Research Institute Geological Institute University of Pretoria USSR Academy of Sciences Pretoria 0002 Pavlov Street 2 SOUTH AFRICA Ulan-Ude 670042 SOVIET UNION Eberhard Schneider Institut fur Wildbiologie John E. Fa and Jagdwissenschaft c/o Mrs R. Williamson Fortliche Fakultat Irish Town Gottingen-Weende GIBRALTAR Busgenweg 3 GERMANY Section 1: Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of the Lagomorphs Joseph A. Chapman and John E.C. Flux Lagomorphs are found throughout the world either as native from other rodent-like mammals by the presence of a second or introduced species. They range in size from the small, set of incisors called “peg” teeth which are located directly rodent-like pikas (some less than to rabbits (one to four behind the upper front incisors. The pikas (ochotonids) have kilograms) to the largest hares (in excess of five kilograms). 26 teeth (dental formula i. c. O/O, p. and The harvest of lagomorphs for both sport and commercial rabbits and hares have teeth (dental formula i. c. O/O, use is widespread. Rabbit and hare hunting date back thou- p. m. All lagomorphs possess an elongated rostrum sands of years in Europe and even today they remain the of the skull reinforced by a lattice work of bone mainstay of sport hunting in many countries, especially tions), a feature unique to the order (see Figure 1.2). France, Germany and Poland. In North America, the eastern The pikas are in the monotypic family Ochotonidae, which cottontail is the number one game animal, with more cotton- includes a single genus, Ochotona. The jackrabbits and hares tails shot and more money and time spent on this species than are in the family Leporidae and the genus all are true on any other hunting activity. hares. The rabbits are also in the family Leporidae, but they Although the number of extant lagomorphs is relatively include the genera small in comparison to the rodents, they have been a very Romerolagus, Pronolagus, successful group. Lagomorphs occur from the equator to and Although many of these genera from sea level to over in the mountains and in include species commonly referred to as “hares” (for example diverse habitats from desert to tropical forest. There are the hispid hare) they are all true rabbits. about 78 living species including 25 pikas, 29 hares and 24 The pikas are small rodent-like lagomorphs that have a rabbits (Figure 1.1; Table 2.1). long and distinct ancestry separate from the leporids back to Lagomorphs were originally classified as rodents at least the Eocene epoch (50 million years ago). Some early plicidentata) and it was not until 1912 that the order workers suggested that the ochotonids were ancestral to the pha was officially recognized as being distinct from the rabbits and hares, but this does not now appear to be the case. Rodentia. Anatomically, the lagomorphs can be separated Pikas are highly adapted to their alpine and steppe Ochotonidae Leporidae Pikas Jackrabbits and Hares Rabbits Ochotona Amami Rabbit Rock Hare Pronolagus (3) Volcano Rabbit Hispid Hare European Rabbit (1) Cottontails ( Pygmy Rabbit (1) Riverine Rabbit Bunyoro Rabbit (1) Sumatran Rabbit “Numeral after genus is number of species in group Genera or Genera with at least one endangered species Figure 1.1 Families and genera of the lagomorphs of the world Figure 1.2 Skull of the marsh rabbit from Georgia, United States (NCSM 267). Left: ventral view of cranium and dorsal view of mandible. Centre: dorsal view of cranium. Right:lateral view of cranium and mandible.