FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF THE MOUNTAIN HARE LEPUS TIMIDUS SCOTICUS, HILZHEIMER
The food of the mountain hare Lepus timidus scoticus Hilzheimer was studied by means of stomach analysis, and the use of hare‐proof enclosures on moorland; and grazing habits by regular visits to a study area in Banffshire. The main grazing period is at night, varying seasonally in relation to sunse...
Published in: | Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |
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Wiley
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x |
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crwiley:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x 2024-09-30T14:38:16+00:00 FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF THE MOUNTAIN HARE LEPUS TIMIDUS SCOTICUS, HILZHEIMER Hewson, Raymond 1962 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London volume 139, issue 3, page 515-526 ISSN 0370-2774 journal-article 1962 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x 2024-09-19T04:18:29Z The food of the mountain hare Lepus timidus scoticus Hilzheimer was studied by means of stomach analysis, and the use of hare‐proof enclosures on moorland; and grazing habits by regular visits to a study area in Banffshire. The main grazing period is at night, varying seasonally in relation to sunset and sunrise. During the day grazing may occur sporadically, or intensively if before rain or during heavy snow cover. Refection, that is the production of soft faeces which are swallowed directly from the anus, occurs during the period between the end of morning grazing and the start of the next evening's grazing. On ground covered with young ling Calluna vulgaris , mountain hares removed 27 per cent of the vegetation (dry weight) from the control plot, and on cotton grass Eriophorum spp. ground, 20 per cent and 24 per cent from control plots. In three of the eight enclosures used, on various herbage complexes, there was no appreciable difference from the control plots. Analysis of the dried stomach contents of forty‐seven mountain hares, collected at monthly intervals over a period of a year, showed that ling formed 90 per cent of the winter and about half the summer diet. Cotton grass made up about a tenth of the winter and a fifth of the summer diet, while grass species, present as a trace in winter stomachs, increased to a quarter of the total food in summer. Food plants of particular importance during storms and complete snow cover may be missed by the method of sampling or the use of enclosures. The extent to which hares grazed these plants was verified by visits during snow. Gorse Ulex europaeus , juniper Juniperis communis and soft rush Juncus effusus , are among the chief food plants in storms and snow cover. Summary 1. The grazing habits of the mountain hare are described. The main grazing period is at night, varying seasonally in relation to sunset and sunrise. Sporadic grazing, or intensive grazing before rain or during snow cover, may occur during the day. 2. Refection, the production of soft faeces ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Lepus timidus mountain hare Cotton-grass Wiley Online Library Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 139 3 515 526 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
The food of the mountain hare Lepus timidus scoticus Hilzheimer was studied by means of stomach analysis, and the use of hare‐proof enclosures on moorland; and grazing habits by regular visits to a study area in Banffshire. The main grazing period is at night, varying seasonally in relation to sunset and sunrise. During the day grazing may occur sporadically, or intensively if before rain or during heavy snow cover. Refection, that is the production of soft faeces which are swallowed directly from the anus, occurs during the period between the end of morning grazing and the start of the next evening's grazing. On ground covered with young ling Calluna vulgaris , mountain hares removed 27 per cent of the vegetation (dry weight) from the control plot, and on cotton grass Eriophorum spp. ground, 20 per cent and 24 per cent from control plots. In three of the eight enclosures used, on various herbage complexes, there was no appreciable difference from the control plots. Analysis of the dried stomach contents of forty‐seven mountain hares, collected at monthly intervals over a period of a year, showed that ling formed 90 per cent of the winter and about half the summer diet. Cotton grass made up about a tenth of the winter and a fifth of the summer diet, while grass species, present as a trace in winter stomachs, increased to a quarter of the total food in summer. Food plants of particular importance during storms and complete snow cover may be missed by the method of sampling or the use of enclosures. The extent to which hares grazed these plants was verified by visits during snow. Gorse Ulex europaeus , juniper Juniperis communis and soft rush Juncus effusus , are among the chief food plants in storms and snow cover. Summary 1. The grazing habits of the mountain hare are described. The main grazing period is at night, varying seasonally in relation to sunset and sunrise. Sporadic grazing, or intensive grazing before rain or during snow cover, may occur during the day. 2. Refection, the production of soft faeces ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hewson, Raymond |
spellingShingle |
Hewson, Raymond FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF THE MOUNTAIN HARE LEPUS TIMIDUS SCOTICUS, HILZHEIMER |
author_facet |
Hewson, Raymond |
author_sort |
Hewson, Raymond |
title |
FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF THE MOUNTAIN HARE LEPUS TIMIDUS SCOTICUS, HILZHEIMER |
title_short |
FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF THE MOUNTAIN HARE LEPUS TIMIDUS SCOTICUS, HILZHEIMER |
title_full |
FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF THE MOUNTAIN HARE LEPUS TIMIDUS SCOTICUS, HILZHEIMER |
title_fullStr |
FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF THE MOUNTAIN HARE LEPUS TIMIDUS SCOTICUS, HILZHEIMER |
title_full_unstemmed |
FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF THE MOUNTAIN HARE LEPUS TIMIDUS SCOTICUS, HILZHEIMER |
title_sort |
food and feeding habits of the mountain hare lepus timidus scoticus, hilzheimer |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
1962 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x |
genre |
Lepus timidus mountain hare Cotton-grass |
genre_facet |
Lepus timidus mountain hare Cotton-grass |
op_source |
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London volume 139, issue 3, page 515-526 ISSN 0370-2774 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1962.tb01846.x |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |
container_volume |
139 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
515 |
op_container_end_page |
526 |
_version_ |
1811640961843855360 |