- Related Topics:
- rabbit
- pika
- rockhare
- Ochotonidae
- Prolagus
lagomorph
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What is a lagomorph?
Lagomorpha is an order of herbivorous mammals characterized by two pairs of incisors in the upper jaw, soft fur, and a short or rudimentary tail.
The order consists of two families:
* Leporidae (rabbits and hares): Characterized by long ears, a short tail, and strong hind limbs.
* Ochotonidae (pikas): Smaller animals with short, rounded ears, no external tail, and less-developed hind limbs.Though they resemble rodents, lagomorphs possess a distinguishing second pair of peglike incisors behind the large incisors in the upper jaw. They also produce two types of feces, reingesting the soft kind to maximize nutrient intake. Lagomorphs have a nearly worldwide distribution.
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What animals are included in the lagomorph group?
The order Lagomorpha consists of two families: the Leporidae (rabbits and hares) and the Ochotonidae (pikas).
Leporidae
Both rabbits and hares belong to the family Leporidae. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears and feet. Examples of hares include the European hare (L. europaeus) and the Arctic hare (L. arcticus). There are 10 genera and 28 species of rabbits. The European rabbit and cottontails are the best-known.
Ochotonidae
Pikas are small, short-legged mammals found in Asia and western North America. There are 29 species of pikas.
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Where do most lagomorphs live?
Lagomorphs, including pikas, hares, and rabbits, have a nearly worldwide distribution as native or introduced species. Pikas live in the mountains of western North America and much of Asia. Hares are the most widespread, occupying most of North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Most cottontail rabbits are North American, but other rabbits live in Africa and Asia.
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How are lagomorphs different from rodents?
Though lagomorphs were once categorized within the order Rodentia, it is now understood that they possess separate evolutionary paths. Both rodents and lagomorphs have continuously growing incisor teeth. However, lagomorphs have a distinctive set of peglike incisors behind their large incisors in the upper jaw, which rodents lack.
Another trait unique to lagomorphs is their production of two kinds of feces, solid round droppings and soft black greaselike pellets, which they reingest to maximize nutrient intake. Lagomorphs include 87 species in two families: Leporidae (rabbits and hares) and Ochotonidae (pikas). Rodentia consists of over 2,000 living species.
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What do lagomorphs usually eat?
Lagomorphs, including pikas, rabbits, and hares, are terrestrial herbivores that consume plant material in large quantities. Their diets primarily consist of grasses and forbs (herbs other than grasses).
To ensure proper nutrition, lagomorphs have large digestive tracts and practice coprophagy, reingesting soft fecal pellets to utilize nutrients and vitamins missed during the first digestion.
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How do lagomorphs help their ecosystems?
Lagomorphs, such as rabbits, hares, and pikas, play a crucial role in their ecosystems, primarily as prey species in food chains, supporting various predators. They are also known for their impact on native vegetation. Additionally, lagomorphs produce two kinds of feces, including soft pellets rich in vitamins, which they reingest to maximize nutrient intake, aiding in nutrient cycling within the ecosystem.
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lagomorph, (order Lagomorpha), any member of the mammalian order made up of the relatively well-known rabbits and hares (family Leporidae) and also the less frequently encountered pikas (family Ochotonidae). Rabbits and hares characteristically have long ears, a short tail, and strong hind limbs that provide a bounding locomotion. In contrast, the smaller pikas have shorter, rounded ears, no external tail, and less-well-developed hind limbs associated with scampering locomotion.
Natural history
All lagomorphs (meaning “hare-shaped”) are small to medium-sized terrestrial herbivores. They superficially resemble rodents and in older classifications were even included in the order Rodentia, as both possess a set of continuously growing incisor teeth. It is now recognized that these two orders have long separate evolutionary histories. A distinctive feature setting lagomorphs apart from rodents is the presence of a second pair of peglike incisors set directly behind the large, continuously growing pair in the upper jaw. Another trait of all lagomorphs is their production of two kinds of feces—solid round droppings and soft black greaselike pellets. The soft feces are produced in the cecum and contain up to five times the vitamin content of hard feces; these are reingested (see coprophagy). This double-digestion process allows lagomorphs to utilize nutrients missed during the first passage through the digestive tract and thus ensures that maximum nutrition is derived from the food they eat.
Lagomorphs proverbially are known for their high rates of reproduction, and many species produce many large litters per year. However, there are also several species that breed only once per year or have only very small litters. One common and interesting feature of lagomorph reproduction is how inattentive the mothers are to their young. Nearly absentee parents, most lagomorph mothers visit their young to nurse only once a day, and the duration of nursing is very short. However, lagomorph milk is among the richest of that of all mammals, and the young grow rapidly and are generally weaned in about a month. Lagomorphs are frequently abundant and play an important role in many terrestrial communities as prey species in food chains. They are also noted for their impact on native vegetation.
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The pikas (family Ochotonidae) are represented by one genus (Ochotona) and about 29 species found in the mountains of western North America and much of Asia. The two North American pikas and about half of Asian pikas occupy rocky habitat, where they live without making burrows. The other Asian pikas are burrowers that live in steppe and meadow habitats.
The leporids (family Leporidae) consist of 30 species of hare (genus Lepus) and 28 species of rabbit, in 10 genera (Pentalagus, Pronolagus, Romerolagus, Caprolagus, Oryctolagus, Sylvilagus, Brachylagus, Bunolagus, Poelagus, Nesolagus). The most commonly recognized forms are the European rabbit (O. cuniculus) and the cottontail rabbits of the Western Hemisphere (genus Sylvilagus).
Classification
With only two families and 87 species, order Lagomorpha is not a diverse group of mammals (there are more than 2,000 rodent species), but as native or introduced species they have a nearly worldwide distribution. However, almost 30 percent of all lagomorph species are recognized as endangered species, including four pikas, seven hares, seven cottontails, and seven other rabbits.
The first fossil record of mammals with lagomorph-like characters is from the Paleocene Epoch (65 to 54.8 million years ago), a time during which many mammalian orders diversified.
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