Lagomorpha

Order Lagomorpha• Derived from Greek lagos ("hare") and morphē ("form")

• 80 species• Two families

- Leporidae – Rabbits and hares- Ochotonidae – pikas

Characteristics of Lagomorpha

• have 4 incisor on upper jaw (rodents have 2)• only eat vegetation• male's scrotum is in front of the penis• penis has no bone (baculum) unlike the

rodent penis• will redigest first-time droppings (called

cecotropes) to obtain the most from their plant diet

Ochotonidae

• American Pika- Western North America- live in rock piles - size of a large hamster - rounded ears - egg shape body - 6 to 8.5 inches in length - weigh 100grams

Pikas • Herbivore

• Active year round, even in winter

• It survives the cold winter by eating dried vegetation they have stored away in hay piles

• alpine grasses, sedges, thistles, fireweed, cushion plants and lichens

• Food passes quickly though the digestive, system only partially digested

• eat their own feces (waste) to extract more nutrients in the digestion process.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tus1FHc7XWU

Eastern Cotton Tail • Mating during Feb. – September • Males mate with more then one female• Females can have 1-7 litters a years with as many as 1-

12 kits. • Average number of litters is 3-4 and average kits are 5• Kits are weaned at 3 weeks and leave the nest after 7

weeks

Eastern Cotton Tail

• Territorial • Nocturnal • When running can jump 15 feet• Runs zigzag when chased• Can run up to 18mph • Preferred habitat: Forests, swamps, thickets,

bushes or open areas where it can dig a burrow are optimal habitation sites for this species

Species in Pennsylvania

• Three different Lagomorphs in Pa- Eastern Cotton Tail - New England Cotton Tail - Snowshoe Hare

Differences

• To determine the difference between Eastern Cottontail and New England Cottontail – In the field compare ear size and body size– New England have smaller ears and bodies– (95%) have a black line on the front edge of the

ear (Easterns 40%)– In the laboratory skull characteristics and

measurements and by DNA techniques.

Sylvilagus floridanus (Eastern Cotton Tail)

New England Cottontail Distribution

Snowshoe Hare Distribution

Other North American Species

Pygmy Rabbit Brachylagus idahoensis

Other North American Species

Arctic Hare Lepus arcticus

Other North American Species

White- tailed Jack Rabbit Lepus townsendii

Other North American Species

European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus Domesticated Rabbit

Other North American Species

Swamp Rabitts Sylvilagus aquaticus

References

• http://thewebsiteofeverything.com• http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu• http://www.pikaworks.com/pikas/