Hainan hare

The Hainan hare, Lepus hainanus, is a hare endemic to Hainan Island, China, first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1870. It is small, with a body length under 40 centimetres and a weight of only about 1.5 kilograms, a small round head, ears longer than its hind feet, a black upper tail and white underside, and a more colourful coat than most hares. It is solitary and active at night or dusk, does not live in burrows but hides in bushes, and likes flat, cool land with many bushes. It is found in the dry grassland of western Hainan Island and does not live in mountains or agricultural land. It was slaughtered for its skin and this continues to some degree, it is threatened by loss of habitat, and there is no control of overhunting even though it is considered endangered.