Lagomorphs are a placental mammal order consisting of two families, Leporidae and Ochotonidae, and are part of the Grandorder Anagalida. They are found on every continent except Antarctica and were introduced to Australia and New Zealand by European settlers. Lagomorphs are small and hairy, with sizes ranging from 18 cm to 76 cm. They feed on a twilight schedule and pikas live in colonies in rock crevices.
Lagomorphs, Order Lagomorpha, is an order of placental mammals comprising two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits) and Ochotonidae (pikas). Lagomorphs are part of the Grandorder Anagalida, which also includes rodents and elephant shrews. At one point, based on their superficial similarity, lagomorphs were classified as a superfamily within the order Rodentia, but have since been given their own order.
The word “lagomorph” comes from the Greek lago-, meaning hare, and -morph, meaning resembling. The order contains about 45 species.
Lagomorphs are all terrestrial and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Their natural range included all continents except Antarctica and Australia. Lagomorphs were introduced to Australia and New Zealand with the first European settlers, where they reproduced rapidly and endlessly, to the detriment of local flora and fauna. This has led to the saying “raising like rabbits”. On these isolated land masses, lagomorphs lack natural predators, as the few surviving marsupial predators (such as the Tasmanian devil) are close to extinction, and natural species are less voracious eaters with slower metabolisms and reproductive rates.
Lagomorphs are small and hairy, showing little internal variation from other mammalian orders. Sizes range from the small Steppe Pika, 18 cm (7 in) long with a weight of 75-210 g, to the largest European Hare, the largest members of which have a head-to-body length of 76 cm (30 in) with a weight of 5 kg (11 lbs). Extinct lagomorphs, such as the Giant Lagomorph of Menorca, whose fossils have been found on the Mediterranean island of Menorca, reached a height of about three feet (excluding ears), weighing 23 kg (50 lb). This is an example of island gigantism, where island species grow large due to the absence of predators.
Rabbits and hares are common animals found in grassy areas, where they feed on a twilight (sunrise and sunset) schedule. By foraging at these times, they avoid predators suitable for day or night hunting, making the most of the light while avoiding midday danger. Pikas, less frequently encountered by humans, are small lagomorphs that live in colonies in rock crevices, often in cold mountainous regions. They alert each other to the presence of predators using a high-pitched squeak.
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