The Japanese Hare is an Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

n 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...

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Geographic range

The Japanese Hare is found on the continent of Asia. It is found primarily in 5 countries even though it is named for Japan. The Japanese Hare is found in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, North Korea

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

, and Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

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Habitat

The Japanese Hare is mostly found in mountains or hilly areas in the places they inhabit. These are the areas that it prefers to live in. It also inhabits forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s or brushy areas. Due to human encroachment though, this hare has thrived in and around urban environments, so much so that it has become a nuisance in some places.

Physical description

The Japanese Hare has a body length that ranges from 12 to 18 inches long. Its tail will grow to lengths of 1- 3 inches long. Its front legs grow from 4 to 6 inches and the back legs can grow from 6 inches to 8 inches long. The Japanese Hare's ears grow to be about 2 inches long when fully grown. The Japanese Hare is one of the many mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

s that change the color of the 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...

 according to the season

Season

A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...

. Although all Japanese Hares do not change their fur color, those that live in varying climate

Climate

Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...

 conditions do.

Reproduction

The 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...

 size of the Japanese Hare varies from 1 to 6. The age of maturity is uncertain, but 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 probably breed within a year of birth. Breeding continues year round. Several litters are born each year, each of which contain 2-4 individuals. Mating

Mating

In biology, mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for copulation. In social animals, it also includes the raising of their offspring. Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization...

 is promiscuous; males chase females, and box to repel rivals.

Behavior

The Japanese Hare, like most hares and rabbits, is nocturnal and feeds mainly in the evening and early morning. It is silent except when it is in distress and gives out a call for the distress. It can and will occupy burrows sometimes. It is a solitary animal except during mating season when males and females will gather for breeding.

Food

Vegetation found in and around its habitat is where the Japanese Hare gets most of its nutrients. Grasses, shrubs, and bushes are all eaten by the hare. The Japanese Hare is one of the few hares that will eat the bark off of trees and it does so occasionally which can cause major damage to trees and forests.

Human interaction and impact

The Japanese Hare populations seem to be stable. It is so stable in some places that it has become a nuisance animal in the regions that it inhabits. It is hunted in certain regions for food, fur, pelts, and to help curb its growing numbers in the places it lives in.

Subspecies

There are four subspecies of this hare:

• Lepus brachyurus brachyurus
• Lepus brachyurus angustidens
• Lepus brachyurus lyoni
• Lepus brachyurus okiensis