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ears and hind legs than the rabbits, and longer ears , with characteristic black markings . The rabbits and hares , though different in many respects do share many commonalities . Both the mammals moult their hair twice a year , in autumn and in spring , which will be replaced with another new coat of fur . Rabbits and hares are nocturnal animals . They are most active from the time that falls between dusk and dawn . They keep low in the daytime . Rabbits usually live in burrows or tunnels in the ground , where they prefer to stay during daylight hours . They try to keep hidden . Hares , on the other hand , always stay on the surface among plants and usually try to escape enemies by running . Rabbits move in groups . There exists competition between the male rabbits within a group to claim dominance . This is how they try to win over their female counterparts and the emergent victor mates with most of the females in the group . The hares on the other hand are solitary animals that live by themselves . The only time they group up is for mating . The hares are a peaceful group since there is no ' infighting ' among the hares for mates . The skulls of rabbits and hares are also different . Rabbits ' fur coats remain the same colour year round , while hares change during the year . Rabbits and hares have different diets . Rabbits prefer soft stems , grass or vegetables , while hares eat more hard food , such as bark and rind , buds , small twigs and shoots . Ahareisawildanimal , while rabbits are domesticated and are grown as pets or for slaughter .
In Gauteng you might come across the following hares and rabbits : Cape or Desert Hare ( Lepus capensis ), Jameson ' s Red Rock Rabbit ( Pronolagus randensis ), Scrub or Savannah Hare ( Lepus saxatilis ) and Smith ' s Red Rock Rabbit ( Pronolagus rupestris ). Some plot dwellers refer to their hares as Springhares or Springhaas . However it turns out that the Springhare
Jameson ’ s Red Rock Rabbit
ON THE PLOT
( Pedetes capensis ) is not even a hare – it is actually a species of rodent , which resembles a kangaroo . So what we see at night , raiding the veggie patch or being set up by the dogs and zigzagging across a field at great speed , is most likely a Scrub Hare .
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