SPRINGHARE

also called Springhaas, Jumping Hare, or Cape Jumping Hare, either of two species of hopping African rodents constituting the genus Pedetes and the family Pedetidae (order Rodentia). Although they are called hares, springhares are not of the order Lagomorpha. Springhares have short forelegs and long, powerful hind legs and feet. They are large-eyed animals with relatively long, pointed ears and have long, soft, light reddish brown fur and long, black-tipped tails. They are about 35 to 40 cm (14 to 16 inches) long, excluding a tail of about the same length. Inhabitants of open, sandy country, springhares live in burrows and emerge at night to feed on roots, bulbs, and other vegetation. They sometimes come bounding out of their burrows, presumably to avoid any predators at the entrance. Springhares breed in summer, and the female bears one or two young per litter. The species P. capensis is found from eastern to southern Africa, and P. surdaster in Kenya.