# Cape hare (*Lepus capensis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-hare  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The cape hare (Lepus capensis) is a mammal of the order Lagomorpha and the family Leporidae, also called the Brown hare, Desert hare or Arabian hare. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial, nocturnal herbivore with a representative adult body mass of 3.3 kg. Gestation lasts 42.6 days, litters average 2.5 young, females have 3.1 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 200 days. The cape hare is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category, and it has a lifespan of 8.9 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.2 kg – 3.26 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 8.9 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 42.6 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.51 |
| Age at maturity | 6.57 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 3.14 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Lagomorpha
- family: Leporidae
- genus: Lepus
- species: *Lepus capensis* Linnaeus, 1758

## Common questions

### How heavy is a cape hare?

The cape hare has a representative adult body mass of 3.3 kg, placing it in the medium size class (1 to 25 kg).

### What does the cape hare eat?

The cape hare is a herbivore.

### Is the cape hare endangered?

No. The cape hare is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a cape hare live?

The cape hare has a lifespan of 8.9 years.

### What kind of animal is the cape hare?

The cape hare is a mammal in the order Lagomorpha and the family Leporidae. It is terrestrial and nocturnal.

### How many young does a cape hare have?

A cape hare litter averages 2.5 young, with 3.1 litters per year after a gestation of 42.6 days.

### Who named the cape hare?

The cape hare, Lepus capensis, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

### What are other names for the cape hare?

The cape hare is also called the Brown hare, Desert hare and Arabian hare.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Cape hare (Lepus capensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-hare