Lagomorpha

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Lagomorphs[1]
Temporal range: Eocene – Recent
Ochotona princeps.jpg
Pika, Ochotona princeps, in Sequoia National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Infraclass:
Eutheria
Superorder:
Euarchontoglires
Order:
Lagomorpha

Brandt, 1855
Families

Leporidae
Ochotonidae
Prolagidae (extinct)

The European hare (Lepus europaeus).

Lagomorpha is a mammal order. It includes pikas, rabbits and hares. Although lagomorphs look like rodents, they are not rodents, but are closely related to them. They have four incisors on the upper jaw, not two as with rodents. Also, they only eat plant material, not meat as rodents do to some extent.

Rabbits were classified under rodents until the 20th century.[2][3] They are divided into two families: Leporidae, which are hares and rabbits, and Ochotonidae, the pikas.

It has been known for some time that Lagomorpha is an unusual group, and there have been many guesses about its evolution. Darren Naish explains this.[4]

Taxonomy[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Hoffmann, Robert S.; Smith, Andrew T. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 185–211. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
  2. ↑ Gregory W.K. 1019. The orders of mammals. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 27.
  3. ↑ Wood A.E 1957. What, if anything, is a rabbit? Evolution 11, 417((ndash))425.
  4. ↑ Naish, Darren 2010. Tetrapod zoology 2010. Chapter 31, p183 et seq: The most freaky of all mammals: rabbits. ISBN 978-1-905723-61-4
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lagomorpha&oldid=8411535"