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The Mammals
of Texas - Online Edition
ORDER LAGOMORPHA:
HARES AND RABBITS
Mammals assigned to this Order
superficially resemble rodents, but lagomorphs differ
from rodents in several essential features. One of these
is the peculiar tandem arrangement of the front (incisor)
teeth, with a large tooth in front on each side and a
small peglike tooth directly behind it. Also, the number
of premolars is 2/2 or 3/2 (2/1 or 0/0 in rodents), so
that the total number of teeth is 26 or 28 and never as
few as the 16 to 22 found in rodents.
This group of mammals is largely
diurnal or crepuscular in habit; the food is almost
entirely vegetable matter — grasses, forbs, bark of
trees and shrubs, and so forth. Because of their usually
large size and food predilections, lagomorphs frequently
come into conflict with grazing, agriculture, and
forestry interests. No lagomorphs hibernate.
Family
Leporidae (hares and rabbits)
Swamp Rabbit, Sylvilagus
aquaticus
Desert Cottontail,
Sylvilagus audubonii
Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus
floridanus
Black-tailed Jackrabbit,
Lepus californicus
KEY
TO THE HARES AND RABBITS OF TEXAS
| 1. |
- Length of ear from notch
more than 100 mm; general color grayish
above, white below; tail with black
dorsal stripe: Lepus
californicus (black-tailed
jackrabbit).
- Length of ear from notch
less than 100 mm: 2
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| 2. |
- Length of hind foot
usually more than 100 mm; total length
(tip of snout to tip of tail) in adults
near 500 mm; pelage rather harsh for a
rabbit: Sylvilagus
aquaticus (swamp rabbit).
- Length of hind foot
usually less than 100 mm; total length of
adults near 400 mm: 3
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| 3. |
- Ear 65% to 85% as long as
hind foot and usually more than 58 mm in
length; hind foot usually less than 90
mm; bullae relative to length of skull
large: Sylvilagus
audubonii (desert cottontail).
- Ear 50% to 60% as long as
hind foot and usually less than 58 mm in
length; hind foot usually near 90 mm;
bullae relative to length of skull small:
Sylvilagus
floridanus (eastern cottontail).
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