Reproduction of the European hare in Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract

Monthly samples totalling 202 European hares Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 were collected in southern Argentina from August 1993 to March 1994. The sex ratio of the whole sample was 1:1.2 in favour of females. Pregnant females were present from August to February and lactating females were present from September to March The percentage of pregnant females was 59% for the whole breeding season. The mean ovulation rate for female hares was 2.78; the number of ova ovulated was not significantly correlated with body weight. The mean number of implantation sites per reproducing female was 2.46. The number of embryos in a litter varied from 1 to 4, the average being 2.12. The prenatal mortality was 56.5% of all ova ovulated and of these 34.7% were lost before implantation and 21.8% after implantation.