Descriptions

The South African spring hare is a large rodent. Sitting on its hind legs (as pictured) this male is around 40cm tall to the tips of his ears.

He was collected on 21 April 1929 in Karakuwisa, north east Namibia at an altitude of 1350 m.

The spring hare was mounted as a taxidermy by the famous London-based company Rowland Ward Ltd and presented to the museum in 1939 by collector PH Maxwell along with its skull.

Spring hares are nocturnal and spend the day underground in burrows, so prefer sandy soils for ease of excavation. They are found across large areas of southern Africa along river margins and flood plains, in areas of sandy scrub and over-grazed grassland. Due to their size, spring hares are a valuable source of protein for indigenous peoples. They are easily captured whilst in their burrows during the day by using a pole with a barbed end that catches in the fur. Some communities also use the animals’ skins and tail hair to make containers, mats and threads. In 1975 it was estimated that 2.5 million individuals were killed for food. However, this species is not listed as being endangered.

This object is not on display.