Impact of winter nutrition on reproduction in captive Mountain hares (Lepus timidus) (Mammalia: Lagomorpha)

• Published in: Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Pehrson2, A., Lindlöf, B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1984
• Subjects: Lepus timidus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1984.tb02370.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1469-7998.1984.tb02370.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1984.tb02370.x; https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1984.tb02370.x

Summary During winter‐time, two groups of captive female Mountain hares were fed food of high and normal quality respectively, in order to study the impact of winter nutrition on reproduction the following summer. On average, the animals fed on high quality food increased their weight 19.2% from December to April, while the corresponding figure for the other group was 7.1%. Neither the size of the first, nor the second litter of the year differed between the two feeding regimes. In the first litter, the leverets from the females fed high quality food had significantly higher birth weights (149.5±24.4 g) than the leverets from the normally fed females (108.5±25.6 g). The second litter of the year showed no such differences. Gestation time was similar for the two groups and showed small fluctuations around a mean value of 51 days. Juvenile growth rate amounted to an average of slightly below 30 g per day during the first 2–3 months. We are most grateful to Dr Olav Hjeljord and Dr Jonathan Reynolds for valuable criticism of the manuscript. Dr Reynolds also kindly checked the language for us.