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Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. Hares are classified into the same family as rabbits and are of similar size, form, and diet as rabbits. They are generally herbivorous, long-eared, and fast runners, and typically live solitarily or in pairs. Hare species are native to Africa, Eurasia, North America, and the Japanese archipelago. Five leporid species with "hare" in their common names are not considered true hares: the hispid hare (''Caprolagus hispidus''), and four species known as red rock hares (comprising ''Pronolagus''). Meanwhile, jackrabbits are hares rather than rabbits. A hare less than one year old is called a leveret. The collective noun for a group of hares is a "drove". ==Biology== Hares are swift animals: The European brown hare (''Lepus europaeus'') can run up to . The five species of jackrabbits found in central and western North America are able to run at , and can leap up to 3 m (10 ft) at a time. Normally a shy animal, the European brown hare changes its behavior in spring, when hares can be seen in daytime chasing one another; this appears to be competition between males to attain dominance (and hence more access to breeding females). During this spring frenzy, hares can be seen "boxing", one hare striking another with its paws (probably the origin of the term "mad as a March hare"). For a long time, this had been thought to be intermale competition, but closer observation has revealed it is usually a female hitting a male to prevent copulation.〔(The myth of the mad March hare ), Nature 309, 549 - 550. Holly, Anthony J. F. et al. Retrieved July 03 2010.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「hare」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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