South African springhare: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the South African springhare lives – recorded in 4 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Pedetes capensis
Group	Mice, rats & other rodents
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	4 countries
Continents	Africa
Class	Mammal
Order	Rodentia
Family	Pedetidae

Where does the South African springhare live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the South African springhare in 4 countries and territories across Africa.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the South African springhare endangered?

The South African springhare’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the South African springhare?

The South African springhare (Pedetes capensis) is a mammal in the order Rodentia and the family Pedetidae, genus Pedetes. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the South African springhare

The South African springhare (Pedetes capensis) (Afrikaans: springhaas) is a medium-sized terrestrial and burrowing rodent. Despite the name, it is not a hare. It is one of two extant species in the genus Pedetes, and is native to southern Africa. Formerly, the genus was considered monotypic and the East African springhare (P. surdaster) was included in P. capensis.

Springhares live throughout semi-arid areas in southern Africa, preferentially in sandy plains and pans with short grasses. In agricultural areas, springhares can be considered a pest due to their destructive feeding on crops. However, they are not currently considered under an impending risk of extinction.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article South African springhare (revision 1375992582), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q732890 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).