the systematic position of the Springhasen as one single representative of its family has it zoologist already much head-breakup makes ready. One suspected relational relationships to Springmäusen at first, then even to porcupines. Today, one places it into the relationship of the thorn-tail-croissants.
Shape The Springhasen are approximately hare-big with a head-torso-length of 35-40 cm with a 40-50 cm long, bushy tail. The odd kangaroo-good shape alone shows us how difficult it is to be classified the Springhasen within the rodents. While the short head with the 7-8 cm long, spoon-good ears resembles a hare-head, the short front-legs and the extended, powerful hind legs remind of Springmäuse or small kangaroos equally like the long, bushy tail.
Coloring This yellow - until bay, long and soft hairy blanket is on good tried in the color at sandy ground. The Endquaste of the tail is dark, brown-black, colored. Unterseits is the fur more brightly.
Locomotion Also the locomotion-manner reminds very much of Springmäuse or kangaroos. The up and down see-sawing tail serves as stabilizer when jumping and jumping on the hind legs for the otherwise fore-load-y body. The front-legs are pulled during the jump densely under the chin. Springhasen can make enormous sentences for up to 8 m.
If äsen the animals or wanders around only slowly, they move on all four. In sitting, the handle-nicely rested tail prevents a "Hintüberkippen."
Habitat The Springhase lives preferred in water-proximity on sandy with only little shrubbery existed, open surfaces in the southern one and in sharing of the eastern Africa. its occurrence depends to strong extent of the nature of the ground. Only on relaxed underground, that is well suitable for the ditch, we find the animals in larger number and often then unify to loose colonies. Firm, hard ground is avoided.
Way of life Springhasen come from its myself-dug Erdbauten only at night. they usually jump out of its cave with a sentence out to probably escape about possible enemies, who could lurk at the entrance of the building site. In the residential-chamber of the often complicated construction-system, no nest is erected. The long ear-mussel-edges of the Springhasen near the ditch lie down so together that no sand is able to penetrate into the ear. The loose-dug earth is cast before the main entrance.
Food Springhasen are very careful and jumpy. they always test exactly the surroundings before they get started with the food-search. The big night-eyes and the hearing especially sensitive through the long spoons and big hearing-blisters come zustatten very much for them on that occasion. During dry-periods, they look particularly for tubers and roots, that they dig out with claws and edge-teeth. The lips contract on that occasion behind the Nagezähnen so that no earth reaches into the remaining mouth-cave. they consume grass, herbs, foliage and Sämereien furthermore and direct occasionally also damage toward corn, potato, and peanut-fields at. Probably only as Beikost, also small insects are eaten.
Enemies Springhasen have many enemies. Particularly honey-badgers, different feline carnivores like broom-cat, fallow-cat and Serval as well as jackals, Warane, snakes and owls hunt Springhasen during the night. With danger, the animals always escape to its construction with wide sentences back. There they protect themselves during the day by adding the construction-entrances with sand.
Reproduction In consideration of the big Feindesschar, the increase-installment appears amazingly low only with a boy per females annually. Only rarely, there are twin-births once. The Tragzeit lasts approximately 2,5 months. The young can sit on the hind legs already directly after the birth and opens the eyes after 2 days.
Continuance Springhasen are frequent regionally.
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