Desert hare

The desert hare, Lepus tibetanus, is a slender, sandy brown hare with black-tipped, tufted ears found in Central Asia, northwest China and the western Indian subcontinent. Its range runs from western and northern Pakistan through Afghanistan into eastern Tajikistan, southeastern Kyrgyzstan, parts of Mongolia and northern China, at altitudes of up to 3,500 or 4,000 metres in arid and semi-arid areas, scrubby deserts, grasslands and steppes. It is an herbivore that feeds on roots, seeds, foliage, stems, berries and the occasional cactus, is most active at dusk, and otherwise rests in a shallow depression or the burrow of another animal. Females have 3 to 10 young per litter and may have up to three litters a year. It is closely related to the Yarkand hare and hybridizes with it near the Pamir Mountains. China and the IUCN assess it as least concern because it is widely distributed, with human population growth and hunting for food as potential threats.