CreatureData

Cape scrub hare

Lepus saxatilis F. Cuvier, 1823

LCLeast Concernmammals

The cape scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis) is a species in the family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha. Recorded adults weigh 2.36 kg to 2.69 kg and live up to 9.78 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Cape scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis)
Photo: Craig Thom · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the cape scrub hare

Weight
2.36 kg – 2.69 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
9.78 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
12 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
42 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
2.14src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
7.48 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
3.8src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the cape scrub hare live?

Not recorded

What is the cape scrub hare?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Cape scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis) (Afrikaans: ribbokhaas) is a species of hare found in South Africa and Namibia. It is a medium to large-sized hare with coarse grizzled-gray fur along most of its body, white undersides, a black and white tail, and black-tipped ears. The hare's eyes are ringed with white. It is similar in appearance to the smaller African savanna hare, a species found in a broader range across Africa. The Cape scrub hare is largely restricted to savanna, woodland, and scrubland habitats, though it is found at the borders or ecotones of some forest and mountain habitats. It is fairly adaptable, able to inhabit regions where agriculture has modified the land.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the Cape scrub hare to be a least-concern species, as it is fairly common and appears in several protected areas. However, its population has been declining, and is expected to decrease by 20% over the next 100 years, according to a 2004 report. Some populations are becoming fragmented due to agricultural development; the hare is also threatened by hunting for food and use in traditional medicine.

From the Wikipedia article “Cape scrub hare” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_scrub_hare&oldid=1380265760), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the cape scrub hare endangered?

The cape scrub hare is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the cape scrub hare classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderLagomorpha
  5. familyLeporidae
  6. genusLepus
  7. SpeciesLepus saxatilis F. Cuvier, 1823

Synonyms Lepus crawshayi, Lepus saxatilis saxatilis, Lepus saxatilis subrufus

Other names and names in other languages (47)
  • Savanna hareEnglish
  • Savannah hareEnglish
  • Savannah hareEnglish
  • Scrub hareEnglish
  • Scrub hareEnglish
  • KolhaasAfrikaans
  • RibbokhaasAfrikaans
  • Тӹшкӓ моренMari
  • zajíc křovinnýCzech
  • BuschhaseGerman
  • Busch-HaseGerman
  • Λαγός σφουγγαρίστραGreek
  • Liebre del MatarralSpanish
  • Liebre de los matorralesSpanish
  • pensasjänisFinnish
  • Lievre de RochersFrench
  • Le Lievre des BuissonsFrench
  • Lièvre de BuissonsFrench
  • Lièvre des rochersFrench
  • ארנבת הסבךHebrew
  • bozóti nyúlHungarian
  • Lepre di boscagliaItalian
  • Lepre du CespuglioItalian
  • アカクビノウサギJapanese
  • 덤불멧토끼Korean
  • KlippehareNorwegian Bokmål
  • StruikhaasDutch
  • !oasnmx
  • zając zaroślowyPolish
  • Lebre-de-nuca-douradaPortuguese
  • Кустарниковый заяцRussian
  • tsuroShona
  • LogwajaSwati
  • logwatjaSwati
  • klipphareSwedish
  • mMutlaTswana
  • maTshwaratselaneTswana
  • mMutla matswaratselaTswana
  • ModiôlôTswana
  • ModuôlôTswana
  • MpfundlaTsonga
  • KhomuVenda
  • MuvhudaVenda
  • UmvundlaXhosa
  • unshuruyei
  • 藪兔Chinese
  • UnogwajaZulu

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the cape scrub hare

Other species in the same genus Lepus.

LC, Least Concern
Cape hare (Lepus capensis)

Cape hare

Lepus capensis

Leporidae

CompareCape scrub hare vs European hareCape scrub hare vs Mountain hareCape scrub hare vs Arctic hareCape scrub hare vs Snowshoe hare

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the cape scrub hare?

An adult cape scrub hare weighs 2.36 kg – 2.69 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the cape scrub hare endangered?

The cape scrub hare is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the cape scrub hare live?

The cape scrub hare has a recorded lifespan of 9.78 years.

How long is the cape scrub hare pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 42 days.

What kind of animal is the cape scrub hare?

The cape scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis) belongs to the family Leporidae in the order Lagomorpha.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cape scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-scrub-hare

MLA

“Cape scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-scrub-hare.

BibTeX
@misc{cape_scrub_hare_2026,
  title = {Cape scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-scrub-hare},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}