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Pedetes capensis is the only living genus and species of the family Pedetidae.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
The springhare is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN due to an approximately 20% decrease in the population over the last ten years. This has been caused by intense hunting and the loss of habitat.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
In areas of cultivation where crops of groundnuts, barely, wheat, and oats are grown, springhares may cause some damage to these crops.
The springhare is hunted in South Africa because it is considered an important source of food. They are often kept in captivity in zoological gardens. Springhares are solitary animals in the wild but they coexist together in captivity well.
The springhare likes to eat barley, oats, and wheat. They are mainly herbivorous but they have been found to eat some insects (beetles and grasshoppers) as well.
Pedetes capensis, also known as the Springhare, is found in the south of Zaire and Kenya as well as South Africa. Some springhares are also located in East Africa.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Springhares live in areas with sandy, dry soil. They also can be found in areas of cattle grazing and cultivation of crops such as wheat, oats, and barley. They dig underground tunnels and live in them.
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 14.5 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13.8 years.
The body length of Pedetes capensis is 35-45 cm, and the tail measures 37-48 cm. Pedetes have a shoulder height of 30 cm when they sit on their hind legs. They also have long ears that are 7-9 cm long. The body color on the dorsal side can be reddish brown, sandy, tawny brown, or cinnamon buff with occasional white or black hairs. The ventral side is white, and a line of similar color extends up the front of the thighs and inside the legs. The tail is very hairy and has a thick black or dark brown brush at the tip end. Overall, their pelage is thin, soft and long with no underfur found.
The springhare resembles a kangaroo with short forelegs and long powerful hind legs. They have four toes on their hind feet with claws that look like small hoofs; these are wider than those found on the forefeet. They have a thick muscular neck supporting their short head. They also have large eyes, and their ears have a tragus that prevents sand from entering when they are digging.
Range mass: 3 to 4 kg.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Average basal metabolic rate: 4.427 W.
The springhare can give birth all during the year. It has a gestation period of 78-82 days and bears one young. The adult female has on average 3.6 liters per year, and there is an average of 101 days between each liter. The average weight of the male and female newborns are 300g and 278g respectively. At birth, the springhare has hair covering its entire body, Its eyes usually open in 3 days. At seven weeks of age, the young springhare leaves its mother and weighs about 1.5 kg. It reaches sexual maturity when the body weight is 2.5 kg. There is no evidence of sexual dimorphism in these animals.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 275 g.
Average gestation period: 80 days.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 1034 days.
