Order Lagomorpha — Rabbits, Hares and Pikas
Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Chordata > Class: Mammalia > Order: Lagomorpha
These are small to medium-sized herbivorous mammals found across much of the world, particularly in open landscapes such as grasslands, mountains and deserts. They are characterised by long hind legs adapted for running or jumping and by having two pairs of upper incisors — a feature that distinguishes them from rodents.
Lagomorphs are divided into two main families: the rabbits and hares (Leporidae) and the pikas (Ochotonidae). Unlike rabbits and hares, pikas are small mountain-dwelling animals with short legs and rounded ears that live among rocks and scree.
Families within Order Lagomorpha
The families are listed below
Observations
Observation notes and photographs are provided below for the families in which I have recorded sightings.
Family Leporidae — rabbits and hares
Rabbits and hares are animals I have seen many times. European Rabbits are common almost everywhere and I have also seen plenty of Brown Hares in the UK. I have been lucky enough to see Mountain Hares in Scotland as well.
On my travels in Texas I came across several North American species including Desert Cottontails and Eastern Cottontails, and also a Black-tailed Jackrabbit.
Expand to view species I have seen (7)
- European Hare / Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) — Various, UK Species
- Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus) — Scotland 2017
- European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) — Various, UK Species
- Swamp Rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) — Texas 2024
- Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) — Texas 2024
- Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus ) — Texas 2024
- Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) — Texas 2024
Family Ochotonidae — pikas
Pikas are one of my favourite small mammals — they are incredibly cute. In Yellowstone we stopped several times along the road looking for them and eventually found one sitting among the rocks, which attracted several other visitors who thought we had spotted a bear. In Bhutan we also saw pikas near the Chelela Pass, including a Large-eared Pika sitting outside its burrow.
Expand to view species I have seen (3)
- American Pika (Ochotona princeps) — Yellowstone 2017
- Large-eared Pika (Ochotona macrotis) — Bhutan 2020
- Royle’s Pika / Common Pika (Ochotona roylei) — Bhutan 2020
