The Indian hare (Lepus nigricollis), also known as the black-naped hare, because of a patch of black fur that runs along the nape of the neck, is found in the Indian Subcontinent, including Sri Lanka, and Java. There are seven subspecies and L. n. singhala is the subspecies found in Sri Lanka.
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| Indian hare in Yala NP. |
There are some big differences between subspecies, but I can't find anything that describes the differences well. For example, the black patch on the nape is gray in some subspecies and barely visible in others. In Sri Lanka, it is very pronounced and striking.
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| I think one of the most interesting things about them is how much of the black nape is visible from each angle. |
The back and the face are brown with black hairs scattered throughout with some rufus on the breast and legs. The underparts and the tail are white.
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| A straight on view of the nape. |
We saw a number of hares as we drove, but where we got these photos was late in the afternoon as we were leaving Yala National Park and it was starting to get dark.
I hadn't noticed the black patch. Very cool. What makes a hare different from a rabbit?
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