South African springhare
Species of rodent / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Pedetes capensis?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The South African springhare (Pedetes capensis) (Afrikaans: springhaas) is a medium-sized terrestrial and burrowing rodent. Despite the name, it is not a hare. It is one of two extant species in the genus Pedetes,[3] and is native to southern Africa. Formerly, the genus was considered monotypic and the East African springhare (P. surdaster) was included in P. capensis.[5][6]
South African springhare | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Pedetidae |
Genus: | Pedetes |
Species: | P. capensis |
Binomial name | |
Pedetes capensis (Forster, 1778) | |
South African springhare range.[2] | |
Synonyms | |
Springhares live throughout semi-arid areas in southern Africa, preferentially in sandy plains and pans with short grasses.[7] In agricultural areas, springhares can be considered a pest due to their destructive feeding on crops.[8][9] However, they are not currently considered under an impending risk of extinction.[10]