Jameson's Red Rock Hare is a leporid found only on the continent

Continent

A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...

 of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, mostly in the southern portion of the continent. South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 has a population of this red rock hare

Hare

Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...

 but it is only found in the northwestern part of the country. Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

 also has a population, they occur mostly in the eastern regions of the country. Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

 or Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

 is thought to have the largest population of the red rock hare and it said to be found throughout the country.

Habitat

Jameson's Red Rock Hare is found in very rocky environments, this is where it gets its name. This red rock hare is found on the rocky slopes of mountainous regions of the southern African continent. It is also found in grassy or bushy areas on or around these mountains and it uses them as its shelter during resting periods and sleep.

Description

This species has a fine, silky fur

Fur

Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...

 which is grizzled rufous-brown on the upper parts of the body. It has a whitish chin

Chin

In the human anatomy, the chin is the lowermost part of the face.It is formed by the lower front of the mandible.People show a wide variety of chin structures. See Cleft chin....

 and slightly lighter fur on the ventrum. The sides of the neck

Neck

The neck is the part of the body, on many terrestrial or secondarily aquatic vertebrates, that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The adjective signifying "of the neck" is cervical .-Boner anatomy: The cervical spine:The cervical portion of the human spine comprises seven boney...

, lower jaw

Jaw

The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...

 and cheek

Cheek

Cheeks constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. They may also be referred to as jowls. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve...

s are light grey in colour. It has a large reddish-brown, black tipped tail

Tail

The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...

. The large ear

Ear

The ear is the organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system....

s are sparsely haired and sometimes are tipped with black. When fully grown, this red rock hare can weigh more than 5 pounds.

Reproduction

Very little is known about its breeding habits. It is assumed that breeding can and does occur year around and female

Female

Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...

s give birth to 1 to 3 young per litter

Litter (animal)

A litter is the offspring at one birth of animals from the same mother and usually from one set of parents. The word is most often used for the offspring of mammals, but can be used for any animal that gives birth to multiple young. In comparison, a group of eggs and the offspring that hatch from...

.

Behavior

Active by night, this species remains in hiding during the day and therefore is nocturnal. Solitary in habits, although it is sometimes seen in groups consisting of a female and her young. An oestrus female is often followed by courting males as with other species.

Food

Jameson's Red Rock Hare only feeds at night, when it is most active. It feeds on the vegetation in and around its habitat including grasses, leaves, and certain fruits. As with other hares and rabbits, Jameson's Red Rock Hare practices coprophagy in order to get the most nutrients out of its diet.

Human interaction and impact

Jameson's Red Rock Hare is not on any endangered or threatened list. The habitat that it uses, as with many other animals' habitats, is endangered because of human encroachment. The continent of Africa, even the region this species is found, is often war-torn and this may affect Jameson's Red Rock Hare, its habitat, or both. Currently though the population of Jameson's Red Rock Hare appears to be stable.