Hares stamp catalogue

683 items

The lagomorphs (Lagomorpha) include all species of hares, rabbits, and pikas. The difference between rabbits and hares is not always clear. Whether a species is called a rabbit or a hare is often language-dependent. However, they are not rodents. More

All species of the order Lagomorpha belong to the hares (actually lagomorphs). These are hares, rabbits, and pikas. Pikas are relatively small rabbit-like mammals with short ears. They live primarily in mountainous regions of Asia and North America. Hares resemble rabbits. Together, they form the family Leporidae (Hares and rabbits). Hare young are not born underground. They are furry and have their eyes open. Rabbits are born underground. They are hairless and 'blind'. Rabbits live more underground and dig burrows. Hares hide during the day in a hollow in the dense vegetation. When disturbed, hares dart away. They are long-distance runners, unlike rabbits, which sprint quickly to their burrows. Furthermore, hares have a different skull and more chromosomes than rabbits.
Only species of the genus Lepus are hares. Scientifically speaking, the genera Sylvilagus, Brachylagus, Caprolagus, Oryctolagus, Bunolagus, and Pentalagus can be considered rabbits. Outside the genus Lepus, there are also a few species that are called "haas" (hare) in Dutch. In English, these are sometimes called "rabbit," and vice versa. Consequently, there is much confusion in various colloquial languages as to whether something is called a hare or a rabbit. Hares are found primarily in Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe. The European hare occurs in the Netherlands and Belgium, which has a wide distribution throughout Europe and extends far into Asia. The species has also been introduced to Australia (just like the rabbit) and Argentina. The snowshoe hare also occurs in Europe. It has a more northerly distribution but is also found in the mountains. Historically, hares and rabbits have been heavily hunted. Hunting is likely also a cause of the extinction of Prolagus sardus, a species of pika that occurred on and around Sardinia and Corsica and became extinct about 2,000 years ago.

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Number of stamps

683

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Oldest item

Hunting (1946)