Four seasons of the tolai hare. Tolai hare - a small fluffy coward How long does a hare live?
For hunting enthusiasts, the tolai hare, or sandstone, is a worthy trophy. In Uzbekistan it is common on all fixed sands. In regional terms, this is the territory of the Kizilkums from the drying Aral Sea to the coast of Aydarkul, as well as the expanses of the western regions of the Kashkadarya and Bukhara viloyats. The number of animals in these areas is low: 0.5–1.0, less often 2.0–2.5 specimens per square kilometer.
In conditions of almost year-round moisture deficiency, tolai prefers to stay in areas with at least a minimum number of plants.
Minor depressions and hollows, the outskirts of takyrs, small valleys between hillocks in the clay-sandy steppe - these are the favorite habitats of the hare in arid areas.
In other areas he mastered other biotopes.
In the floodplains of rivers, the tolai lives in dry areas, often on turfed pebbles with a few bushes of oleaster, tamarix and sea buckthorn.
Where the river has left or where there is water only in the winter-spring period, the tolai lives on sandy or pebble deposits with preserved clumps of reeds, sedges, kendyr, and parfolia...
It also comes across in areas with a small population, near villages on waste lands, in sparse thickets of wild plants along canals, ditches, and sewers.
Garden areas are rarely used by the hare. Preference is given to young plantings up to 5-7 years old. Old plantings are established if they are sparse and have additions in the form of bushes or root shoots.
Tolai finds a favorable habitat in the foothills of the republic. Despite strong food competition with numerous herds of sheep and goats, it manages to survive both on gently sloping rainfed lands and on the adyr area, which is significantly indented by ravines and soybeans.
The natural formations named last are interesting as the habitat of many animals, ranging from insects to mammals.
These canyons, dry most of the year, quite wide and extended, with a sandy-clayey or crushed stone-sandy bed, as a rule, have herbaceous and shrubby vegetation in the form of solitary or growing groups of yantaka, wormwood, harmala, capers, bushy bindweed, and some -where there are tamarix, almonds, cane, saltpeter.
Currently, there is no accurate data on the density of tolai in various natural zones of the Samarkand region.
But surveys of hunters allow us to speak with a high degree of reliability about the lands adjacent to the mountains as typical for the habitat of this animal.
In the seventies of the last century, on a ten-kilometer route along the foothills of the Zeravshan range in autumn- winter period managed to raise from 5 to 10 hare individuals.
In those same years, taking part in the census of tolay in the territories of hunting farms, the author noted a stable number of hares in the steppe areas adjacent to the coast of Aydarkul (2.5-3.0 individuals per square kilometer), and in pistachio plantings along the banks of the Kattakurgan reservoir (3.0-3.5 individuals per square kilometer) in the autumn.
The long-eared rodent also lives in the mountains. In a number of areas Central Asia it occurs up to 4000 meters above sea level.
Within the Samarkand region it does not rise above 1500-1800 meters, which is due to the physical and geographical features of the area. On the Nurata, Turkestan and Zeravshan ranges, the mountains, as a rule, are represented by rocky ridges and cliffs that do not correspond to the biology of the species.
Tolai stations here are gentle slopes, where the greatest slope can be 40°.
Areas without a significant accumulation of stones, but always with sparse shrub vegetation, also meet the needs of the rodent.
Whatever natural area the hare did not live; its life activity was tied to shrub-tree communities.
That is why in Central Asian mountain landscapes, tolai are most numerous in juniper open forests, where they can number up to 5.5 individuals per square kilometer.
Herbaceous vegetation does not occupy the main place in the hare’s diet; its share either increases or decreases in different time of the year.
The maximum consumption of soft feed occurs in the spring summer time. Among the plant diversity, tolai readily eats sprouts of cereals, goosefoot, and cruciferous plants.
Where the choice of herbaceous plants is limited by natural factors or overgrazed by livestock, the animal is content with twigs of thermopsis, wormwood, and solyanka.
The main food specialization of the hare is based on feeding on woody and shrub species. At all times of the year, this is the bark and small shoots of saxaul, almonds, bladderworts, cherry plums, hawthorns, junipers, etc.
Everywhere, tolai eats the basal shoots of willow and poplar trees, which, under unfavorable abiotic factors or under human influence, form a plant in the form of a bush.
In places where tracts emerge into the foothills, the hare stays in sparse thickets of tamarisk, which it also uses for food.
In mountainous regions, feeding stations and daytime resting places of tolai are always located nearby or overlap each other.
To a lesser extent this applies to valley areas. The choice of bed is significantly influenced by weather factors. Life dictated by weather conditions for a rodent begins in December and continues until March.
Precipitation in Uzbekistan comes with westerly winds, bringing rain and snow from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.
The movement of large air masses covers vast territories and lasts from several days to a week. Longer exposure atmospheric front it happens extremely rarely in the region.
Maximum precipitation occurs in mountainous areas. After showers or snowfall, there comes a time of stabilization when sunny weather sets in.
Then the local formation of weather conditions begins. The proximity of vast steppes, deserts and mountain systems creates a pronounced daily change in winds.
In the Zeravshan River basin this is manifested in the following. In the morning hours, the night air flow from the east, from the mountains, after some calm, gives way to a steady daytime air flow, from the west.
Rising air currents from the plains weaken in evening hours and closer to midnight they change to those descending from the mountains. In clear weather, snow does not lie in the valleys for a long time. Mountains are a different matter.
If the steppe habitats of the tolay are cleared of snow cover within two to four days, then on the mountain slopes the melting lasts for weeks.
The foothills are the first to be freed from snow, and then even a slight increase in daytime temperatures in the valley causes the snow line to shift higher and higher to the peaks every day.
The vertical movement of the snow cover forces the tolai to periodically change feeding and resting places. Constantly adhering to its habitat, in winter and spring the hare prefers the southwestern, southern and southeastern slopes of tracts and sais, that is, those areas where the snow disappears more quickly.
The rodent willingly lies down for the day in places where almonds grow. As a rule, the bush does not exceed a height of one meter, although there are prickly specimens up to two meters high.
Almonds grow successfully on both sandy and clayey and rocky soils. For the tolay, it is valuable not only as a food item, but also as a plant that provides protection and shelter at any time of the year.
The hare also roosts next to stones, in niches, gullies and depressions caused by wind and water erosion.
In the steppe, the animal uses for shelter the holes next to the bushes of tribulus, aderaspan, or the leeward side of compactly growing astragalus, saltwort, as well as a cluster of wormwood thickets.
On rain-fed lands developed by humans, the tolai roosts on plowed land, along the edges of fields, behind large dumps of land.
It spends its days in the upper reaches of small ravines, often under the edge of a crumbling edge or in a hollow overgrown with caper and yantak bushes.
METHODS OF HUNTING FOR TOLAY
Hunting for animals from cover is almost never used. In the Samarkand region, barely a dozen hunters use this method of hunting.
The ambush is set up near bridges where the Tolai are in the habit of crossing from one side of a sewer or canal to the other.
Hunting is more productive in the evening hours, before the onset of dense twilight, and at night during the full moon week.
This method is used to hunt along both black and white trails, but more often before snow falls.
A chain of beaters from three to six or more people directs the raised animals to a line of shooters, the number of which can be from one to three or four.
It is practiced in those areas where there are enough hares and where rodents adhere to certain stations.
An example of such hunting is the drive in pistachio plantings along the banks of the Kattakurgan reservoir.
The green necklace of an artificial reservoir, about 20 kilometers long and 50 to 100 meters wide, is the tolai’s favorite place to spend its day.
Having posted shooters in an area where open spaces are under control, the beaters walk along the rows of tree plantations, raising the hidden animal.
Similar surges are also made in areas with bushes, reeds, and cattails on the coast of Aydarkul.
The hunting scheme is as follows. A large peninsula with an area of three to five hectares is selected, on which a hare is most likely to spend the day.
The beaters, trying not to make noise, enter the peninsula, trail by trail, to the outermost stretch of land, where they form an orderly chain.
The arrows are located at the junction of the peninsula and the mainland.
In conditions of highly rugged coastline, carry out several pens in daylight hours day is not difficult.
Often they raise and shoot a hare in the mountains along the way - during a group hunt for stone partridge using the route method. It is in this way that half of the animals shot during the season are caught here. Dogs are not used when hunting hare in the republic.
The ancient hunt for sand hare with the help of greyhound dogs, which took place in steppe and desert areas, is a thing of the past, as is hunting with birds of prey.
From conversations with hunters, I learned that about 50% of the animals taken during the season (and in the Samarkand region this is 200-300 animals) are the result chance meeting with them on the grounds.
There are many experienced hare hunters in the republic. Even during a period of complete absence of snow, these experts on the Tolai way of life are able to raise and take two animals in decent areas. daily norm shooting.
In Russia, according to the conditions of the black trail, this is a method of shooting a moulted hare by detecting it in advance while lying down. In Uzbekistan, similar hunting is carried out before snow falls, as well as in the snow in favorite places tolai habitats.
The color of a rodent's skin is not of decisive importance, and success accompanies those hunters who can determine as accurately as possible the place of its day.
Hunting along the black trail begins in October and in other snowless winters continues until January.
But, of course, every self-respecting lover of chasing hares is looking forward to the powder with impatience and hope.
When it appears, hunting from the approach merges with the art of tracking, when a day-old animal, found in the tracks after feeding, is spotted lying down with the eyes, which happens rarely. In the snow that has been falling all night, the hare leaves a short trail, which is highly valued by hunters.
The tolai makes a long trail if the day's snow ends in the evening or by mid-night. In this case, the traces of the fattened animals and the passages to their den sites are so confusing that experts in tracking throw up their hands.
Typically, difficulties in untangling tracks appear when the snow cover after a snowfall lies unequally over the hare's habitat (the so-called mottled trail) or in areas with partial snow melting.
Unlike its northern relatives - the brown hare and the hare, the tolai, changing summer clothes to winter ones, does not ensure safety in the snow
Grayish-yellow in summer, with a brown stripe on the back; in winter, the animal is dressed in a light gray skin, has a white belly and a brownish-gray stripe on the back.
It is clear that in winter, for camouflage while lying down, the hare tries to choose thawed soil surfaces.
The tolai, having left the day, like its long-eared relatives, after walking around the neighborhood a little, returns to the rest area.
The distance and route of such a move by the animal may be different. This is influenced by the topography of the habitat, the fear of the animal, its physiological state, as well as the weather factor.
Tracking results are better when two hunters participate. While one is unraveling the lace of hare tracks, the other, ready to shoot, controls the distant areas on both sides of the track.
For a cautious hare, rising from a prone position occurs more often when the distance to the people pursuing it is from 20 to 35 meters.
But funny things happen when a rodent lies “until the last moment”, watching the approaching hunters, and jumps out of cover literally five meters from them.
Hunting is possible along the white trail when one shooter remains in a suitable place near an abandoned den, and the second, acting as a hound, slowly pursues the raised tolay.
After observing his partner and determining where the hare went, the shooter chooses an ambush site near stones, bushes, a tree or in a ravine and waits patiently.
The process from the beginning of the pursuit to the final shot takes from thirty minutes to an hour and a half and depends on the terrain, the thickness of the snow cover, and the physical condition of the raised animal.
This method of hunting is most effective in the foothill and mountain habitats of the hare, since in such places the snow lasts longer, and the areas where the animal is constantly located are small in area.
Success comes from hunters who are experienced in untangling tracks and who know the area well.
In addition, the hare breeder must be in good health, since white trail and difficult terrain suggest increased loads on the human body.
Winter equipment for a tolai hunter is a sleeveless vest or jacket worn over a light sweater, woolen trousers and short rubber boots, which can be replaced with tarpaulin or army boots.
Some hunters use white robe with a hood, which, of course, makes it easier to approach the hare's bed at a distance acceptable for shooting.
Fur hats are not suitable for outdoor hunting. Knitted woolen tight-fitting hats in soft colors are widely used as headwear.
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WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
For Tolay shooting, guns with different characteristics battle. But it is preferable to shoot barrels that hit closely.
The appearance of a target at a distance of more than twenty meters leaves no time for thinking, so for accurate shots, the right barrel is chambered for shot No. 4, and the left barrel is chambered for shot No. 3. Good result gives the use of shot No. 5 and No. 4 in containers.
When hunting for tolai on the road, you don’t take a lot of cartridges. Six to eight pieces are enough for daylight hours. It is especially difficult to carry a full bandoleer in the mountains.
To prevent a misfire at the moment of firing, as well as to eliminate poor-quality combat, they try not to use brass cartridges from old equipment or with a broken anvil under the “Tsentroba”.
Experienced hunters prepare cartridges for tolay shooting in folder or plastic cases with a Zhevelo primer.
Living apart for a year, tolai on short term breeding species gathers in groups of several heads in a relatively small area.
This can be either the upper reaches of shallow ravines in the steppe regions, or a rare, low-growing strip of trees and shrubs in the foothill zone, or a gentle valley with boulders on the watershed between the sai in the mountains.
Some of them become prey for terrestrial and large feathered predators during the latter’s spring migration to nesting sites.
Similar natural selection observed in the autumn generation of long-eared animals.
The tolai experiences significant pressure from poaching, especially with the use of Vehicle at night in flat and foothill areas.
The decline in hare numbers is facilitated by occasional epizootics among rodents.
Hunters of the Samarkand region remember the outbreak of tularemia in 1990-1992, which led to almost complete disappearance trekking along the steppe and foothill areas of the Zeravshan Valley.
The restoration of the number of long-eared rodents occurred only after five to six years.
For experienced hare keepers, catching 8-10 animals per season becomes the norm.
The tolai hare, also known as sandstone, looks like a small hare. These hares are common in Central Asia, Altai, Kazakhstan, Transbaikalia, Chui steppe, Chita, Ulan-Ude, Mongolia, China, Afghanistan, Northwestern India, Iran and Northeast Africa.
Description of the tolai hare
Body length ranges from 39 to 55 centimeters, body weight is 1.5-2.5 kilograms. Long ears bent forward so that they go behind the nose.
The tail is wedge-shaped, like that of a hare, its length is 75-115 millimeters, its upper part is black. The feet of the hind limbs are narrow, so sandies cannot move through deep snow.
The general color is brown-gray or ocher-gray with small streaks. Big difference no fur is observed in seasonal colors. Only hares living in the northern parts of their range and in the mountains lighten a little in winter, but they do not become white. Tolai, living in Transbaikalia and Mongolia, are larger in size than hares from Central Asia, and the color of their fur varies winter time theirs is lighter.
Tolai habitats
The habitats of these small hares are very diverse, but they prefer desert areas with tall grass and bushes. They equally often live in sandy and clayey deserts. Also found on plains and mountains.
In mountainous areas, tolai live along river valleys, and in the steppes they live near the edges of forests. In the Tien Shan they are found at altitudes of up to 3 thousand meters, and in the Pamirs they rise even higher.
These hares prefer to settle near water, although they may long time don't drink at all. They try to avoid deep snow, so in the mountains they descend into less snowy zones.
Sandstone diet
The feeding pattern of these hares is similar to the diet of white hares. In the summer, they eat various grasses, preferring sedge and cereals, but they eat wormwood infrequently. In autumn they move to tree bark and branches. With particular zeal they eat chingil and comb, so when tolai multiply en masse, they can almost completely destroy them.
Sandbiters prefer branches less than 1 centimeter thick, and they strip bark from larger branches. They do not eat branches of sand acacia and saxaul with such appetite. In some places, the main winter food of tolai is wormwood.
In the spring, they can dig up the roots and tubers of plants, so you can often find holes made by hares.
Sandbills feed mainly at night, and they spend their days lying down. In the mountains they feed during the day or at dusk.
Tolai lifestyle
In Central Asia, these hares, as a rule, do not dig holes; they only do this in hot deserts. Burrows, no more than 50 centimeters deep, serve as protection from the heat. Young individuals often hide in the burrows of other animals. For example, in Central Asia they use the burrows of marmots or gophers.
The breeding season for tolai begins early - in January-February. One female is pursued by 3-5 males, while they start fights among themselves and scream shrilly. When hares fight, they rise on their hind legs and strike with their forelimbs. Rivals often bite each other's necks and ears.
Pregnant hares are very timid and do not move far from their burrows while feeding. When a person approaches them, they remain very quiet and literally jump out from under their feet.
The number of litters in Central Asia can be 3 or 4, but in Central Asia the female manages to have 2-3 litters. In deserts, the first hares are born in March, and in mountainous areas much later - in May.
The breeding season ends in September. At one time, the female gives birth to up to 9 hares. But if childbirth occurs for the first time, then there may be 1-2 babies; with the second birth, there are already 3-5 babies.
The gestation period is approximately 45 days. Babies have vision and fur, their weight is 65-95 grams. Puberty in Tolai it occurs at 6-8 months.
Number of tolai hares
The number of sandstones is extremely unstable. For example, in certain years there are so many hares in the desert near Lake Issyk-Kul that at dawn several dozen individuals can be seen from the top. And in Central Asia, in some years you may not see a single tolai for several days.
Related species
In Tibet, Nepal and Kashmir in mountainous areas, at an altitude of 3-5 thousand meters, the Tibetan curly-haired hare, which is a close relative of the tolai, is common. The name of this species is justified.
The general fur color of the curly-haired hare is brown with a pink tint or ocher-pink with a large mottled pattern. The lower part of the body is white. In different seasons, the color practically does not change, only the sacrum area becomes significantly lighter. Curly-haired hares live among stones and bushes on rocky slopes.
Also related species are some African hares, such as the bush hare, Cape hare and rufous-sided hare. These hares live in the southern regions of Africa among bushes and forest edges. African species of hares are found from southern to northern regions of Africa. They are slightly smaller in size than sandstones, their length ranges from 35-54 centimeters. Their ears are quite long - up to 13 centimeters. The limbs are short with curly dense hairs.
IN North America There are also several species that are systematically similar to tolai. They live in Texas, Mexico, Colorado, California, Washington, Oregon, Kansas, Nebraska and Arizona. These are Californian, black-brown, Mexican hare and others. The size of these hares is slightly larger in comparison with tolays. Their color is brown-gray; it does not change in different seasons. The ears are very wide and of normal length.
Black-tailed hares live in grassy plains, deserts and steppes, but they can also climb into hilly and mountainous areas up to 2000 meters in height. They run fast; for example, the California hare can run at a speed of about 40 kilometers per hour. But they do not migrate. They reproduce throughout most of the year. There are 2-3 hares in a brood, and there can be 5 broods per year. In the northern part of the range, females give birth less often, but the size of the hares is larger.
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A medium-sized hare, in appearance reminiscent of a reduced hare. Body length 39-55 cm, weight 1.5-2.5 kg. The color of the fur varies among animals living in different territories, but in general it resembles the color of a light hare. However, the thick fur does not have the waviness characteristic of the hare. The tail is dark on top. The ears and legs are long, relative to their size, even longer than those of the hare. The outer edge of the ear does not have a black border. Colored slightly lighter in winter than in summer
On the territory of Russia, the range of the tolay consists of several isolated areas occupying the dry steppes and mountains of southern Siberia from Altai to the Upper Amur basin. In addition, it can be found in the northern Caspian region, in the south Astrakhan region.
The distribution of this hare among habitats largely depends on the availability of shelters in them. On the territory of Russia, the tolai hare lives mainly in dry steppes, usually in places where shrub vegetation (caragana, chii) is present, there are rock outcrops or scatterings of stones. It is very typical for river valleys and lake basins overgrown with dense bushes, where it lives mainly along the outskirts of the thickets. In some places it inhabits the edges of dry larch forests. In the mountains of Altai and the Sayan Mountains it rises to the alpine belt; here the tolai also lives near boulder screes, near lakes and in the valleys of rivers and streams.
Under suitable conditions, the tolai constantly lives in the same area, within which there are several bedding areas and fattening areas. But when feeding conditions worsen, for example, during heavy snowfalls, local movements may occur to places with shallow snow, to populated areas, etc.
Tolai are active mainly at dusk and at night, but during the rutting season they are also active during daylight hours. They may also feed during the day in cloudy weather, especially in areas where they are not disturbed. For lying down, it usually digs a small hole or shallow hole near a bush, on a slope or under a stone. Such beds are similar to hare beds, but slightly smaller in size. In the habitats of marmots, it often rests in their abandoned burrows, and occasionally in pre-expanded gopher burrows. Feeding places are sometimes located at a considerable distance from shelters, and in such cases, when going to feed, hares trample down clearly visible paths. Returning to their resting place, tolai, like other species of hares, confuse their tracks. When raised from its rest, it, however, does not circle, but runs in a straight line and again hides in a suitable shelter. On the territory of Russia, the basis of the tolai’s diet both in summer and winter are herbaceous plants, since there is usually no snow cover in its habitat high. Often digs roots, rhizomes and bulbs out of the ground. At the end of summer and autumn, seeds play a significant role in nutrition. Branches and bark of bushes and trees are eaten only when there is a lack of basic food.
Sexual maturity occurs at next year after birth. On the territory of Russia, at the northern limits of their distribution, tolai breed 1-2 times a year. The first rut takes place at the end of February - March. Its duration is usually extended due to the fact that females enter into reproduction at different times. of different ages. Hares are born after 45-50 days, in April - early May, and in May the second rut is usually observed. The number of hares in a litter is 1-9, in Russia it is usually 4-6. Like other hares, the size of the Tolai brood depends on weather conditions, age of the female, etc. Hares are born in a shelter specially arranged by the hare - a hole or shallow burrow with a bedding of grass. Often “nests” are made in old marmot burrows. Newborn tolai are sighted, their body is covered with hair, a dark stripe is noticeable on the back. Their growth and development is similar to the development of brown hares.
As a rule, tolai molt in spring from March to May, and in autumn from September to November. However, due to the significant scattering of habitats by height, the timing of molting can be greatly extended. The sequence of fur changes is generally the same as that of other hares.
The tracks of the tolay are similar to the tracks of the hare, but noticeably smaller in size. Their droppings are also similar, differing only in size. When feeding on underground parts of plants, it leaves characteristic digs.
Appearance
A small hare, resembling a small hare in appearance: body length 39-55 cm, weight 1.5-2.8 kg. The ears and legs are long, in relative size even longer than those of the hare. Wedge-shaped tail length 7.5-11.6 cm, ear length 8.3-11.9 cm. Feet hind legs rather narrow, this hare is not adapted to move through deep snow. The color of the fur, in general, resembles the color of a light brown hare, but the fur does not have the characteristic waviness. Summer fur is gray with a brownish or ocher tinge; alternation of dark and light guard hairs creates pronounced fine shading. The head is dark, the throat and belly are white; the tail is dark on top, with a brush of coarse white hair at the end. The ears have dark tips. Winter fur is slightly lighter than summer fur, with pronounced streaks. Tolay sheds in spring and autumn. Spring molting begins in February-March and continues until May-June; autumn in different parts The range lasts from September to December. Due to the significant scattering of habitats, the timing of molting can be greatly extended. There are 48 chromosomes in the karyotype.
Spreading
Lives in deserts, semi-deserts and mountains of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan), Kazakhstan, Southern Siberia and Transbaikalia, Mongolia and Northeast China. The northern border of the range runs approximately 48° N. w. In Russia, the range consists of several isolated areas in the dry steppes and mountains of Southern Siberia from Altai, Chuya steppe, southern Buryatia and Chita region to the upper Amur basin. In addition, it is occasionally found in the northeastern Caspian region, in the south of the Astrakhan region.
Lifestyle
The most typical habitats are deserts and semi-deserts. It settles both on the plains and in the mountains, where it rises to 3000 m above sea level. m. (central Tien Shan, Pamir). Prefers protected places with shrubby and tall herbaceous vegetation, including hilly sands with thickets of saxaul, sand acacia and tamarisk, inter-hillock ravines, river and lake valleys, tugai forests. Found on irrigated lands. In the mountains it lives along river valleys, in mountain steppes, and along the edges of forests. In the mountain forest belt, the most favorable conditions for it are in juniper and walnut-fruit forests. It gravitates towards bodies of water, although it can go without water for a long time. Rare in clayey deserts, salt marshes and barren takyrs. On the territory of Russia, the tolai hare is found in dry steppes overgrown with shrubs (karagana, chii), with rock outcrops or scatterings of stones. Very typical for river valleys and lake basins, where it stays along the outskirts of bush thickets. In some places it inhabits the edges of dry larch forests. In the Altai and Sayan Mountains it rises in the mountains to the alpine belt, where it also stays close to boulder screes.
Tolay leads sedentary image life, making only short migrations associated with the search for food, reproduction, pressure from predators or unfavorable weather conditions. For example, in snowy winters it moves to places with shallow snow cover, closer to settlements. After the establishment of deep snow cover in the mountains, tolai move down the slopes or make daily migrations to the valleys, where they feed in snow-free areas. IN favorable conditions The tolay constantly lives in the same area, within which it has several bedding areas and feeding (fattening) areas. The area of the individual plot is about 2 hectares. Lonely; It forms temporary groups of up to 30 individuals only during the rutting season and sometimes in winter in convenient habitats. It is active mainly at dusk and at night, but during periods of rutting and dispersal of young, it is also active during daylight hours. Sometimes it can feed during the day in cloudy weather, especially in high mountain areas, where it is less likely to be disturbed. The nests are arranged in holes 5-15 cm deep (less often up to 60), dug under the cover of bushes and stones; they are similar to hare's beds, but slightly smaller in size. Sometimes it rests in abandoned burrows of marmots, gophers, foxes, and turtles. Young animals often hide in rodent burrows. The tolai itself, as a rule, does not dig holes; exceptions are found in sandy deserts, where it digs shallow holes about 50 cm long. Feeding places are sometimes located at a considerable distance from the bedding areas, and when going to feed, hares sometimes trample down clearly visible paths. Returning to its resting place, the tolai, like all hares, confuses its tracks.
Nutrition
In terms of its feeding habits, the tolai is similar to the white hare. Its main food is the green parts of plants, as well as roots and bulbs. In spring it feeds on the roots and tubers of herbaceous plants and young grass; in deserts - succulent vegetative parts of ephemerals. In summer it feeds on a variety of herbaceous plants, preferring cereals and sedges, and less often eats wormwood. At the end of summer and autumn, seeds begin to play a noticeable role in nutrition; eats corn, barley and wheat in the fields. By winter it moves to young shoots and bark of various trees and shrubs. Particularly willing to eat tamarisk, chingil, whose branches, with a high number of tolai, are completely eaten up by large areas. Less willing to eat branches of saxaul and sand acacia. In places where the snow cover is low, the tolai continues to feed on herbaceous plants, digging them out from under the snow.
Reproduction
Young tolai hare
The rut occurs in different parts of the range at different times: in deserts, valleys and foothills - in January - February and lasts until July, in mountainous and highland areas - from March to August. During the rut, 3-5 males run after the female, between whom there are fights, often accompanied by a piercing cry. On the territory of Russia, in the north of the range, tolays reproduce 1-2 times a year. The first rut here takes place at the end of February - March. Hares are born after 45-50 days, in April - early May, after which the second rut begins immediately. In Central Asia, the number of litters reaches 4 per year, and breeding ends in September. The number of hares in a litter is 1-9, in Russia it is usually 4-6; like other hares, the size of the litter depends on weather conditions, habitat, age of the female, etc. During the first lambing, there are often 1-2 little hares, during the second and third - 3-5. Hares are born in a hole or shallow burrow; Females often occupy marmot burrows under their brood burrows. Newborns (weighing 85-110 g) are sighted, covered with thick fur and a dark stripe on the back. The growth and development of tolay cubs is similar to the development of brown hares cubs. Tolai hares become sexually mature the following year, at the age of 6-8 months.
Number and significance for humans
Tolay is a hunting and commercial species. Previously, it was mined not only for its meat, but also for its fur, which was mainly used in the felt industry. In a number of places it damages cereal crops, melons and sand-protecting plantings. In Transbaikalia it is under protection.
Notes
Links
- Mammals of the fauna of Russia and adjacent territories: Cape hare
Categories:
- Animals in alphabetical order
- Species out of danger
- Hares
- Animals described in 1778
- Invasive animal species
- Mammals of Asia
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A medium-sized hare, in appearance resembling a miniature hare. Body length 39-55 cm, weight 1.5-2.5 kg. The color of the fur varies among animals living in different territories, but in general it resembles the coloring of a light hare. But the thick fur does not have the waviness appropriate for a hare. The tail is black on top. The ears and legs are long, relatively longer in size than those of a hare. The outer edge of the ear does not have a dark border. Colored slightly lighter in winter than in summer
In the Russian Federation, the tolay's habitat consists of several isolated areas occupying the dry steppes and mountains of southern Siberia from Altai to the Upper Amur basin. In addition, it can be found in the northern Caspian region, in the south of the Astrakhan region.
The distribution of this hare across habitats largely depends on the availability of shelters. In the Russian Federation, the tolai hare lives mostly in dry steppes, usually in places where shrub vegetation (caragana, chii) is present, there are rock outcrops or scatterings of pebbles. It is very typical for river valleys and lake basins overgrown with dense bushes, where it mainly lives along the outskirts of the thickets. In some places it inhabits the edges of dry larch forests. In the mountains of Altai and the Sayan Mountains it rises to the alpine belt, here the tolai also lives near boulder screes, near lakes and in the plains of rivers and streams.
Under suitable conditions, the tolai always lives in the same area, within the boundaries of which there are several bedding areas and fattening areas. But when feeding conditions worsen, for example, during heavy snowfalls, local movements may occur to places with shallow snow, to populated areas, etc.
Tolai are active to a greater extent at dusk and at night, but during the rutting period they are also active during daylight hours. Also during the day they can eat in cloudy weather, especially in areas where they are not disturbed. For lying down, it usually digs a small hole or a shallow hole near a bush, on a slope or under a stone. Such beds are similar to hare beds, but slightly smaller in size. In the habitats of marmots, it often rests in their abandoned burrows, and from time to time in the previously expanded burrows of gophers. From time to time, feeding places are located at a significant distance from shelters, and in such cases, when going to feed, the hares trample down clearly visible paths. Returning to their resting place, the tolai, like other species of hares, confuses the tracks. When raised from its rest, it does not circle, but runs in a straight line and again hides in a suitable shelter. On the terrain of the Russian Federation, the tolai’s food base, both in summer and winter, consists of herbaceous plants, since there is usually no snow cover in its habitats the highest. It often digs roots, rhizomes and bulbs out of the ground. At the end of summer and autumn, seeds play a significant role in nutrition. Branches and bark of bushes and trees are eaten only when there is a shortage of basic food
Sexual maturity occurs the next year after birth. In the Russian Federation, at the northern limits of its distribution, tolai breed 1-2 times a year; the first rut takes place at the end of February - March. Its timing is usually extended due to the different times when females of different ages enter into reproduction. Hares appear in 45-50 days, in April - early May, and in May the second rut is usually observed. The number of hares in a litter is 1-9, in Russia it is usually 4-6. Like other hares, the size of the Tolai brood depends on weather conditions, the age of the female, etc. The young hares appear in a shelter specially arranged by the hare - a hole or a shallow hole with a bedding of grass. Often “nests” are made in old marmot burrows. Newborn tolai are sighted, their body is covered with hair, a black stripe is visible on the back. Their growth and development is similar to the development of brown hares.
Typically, in the spring the tolai sheds from March to May, and in the fall from September to November. But due to the significant scattering of habitats by height, the timing of molting can be very extended. The sequence of fur changes is generally the same as that of other hares.
The tracks of the tolay are similar to the tracks of the hare, but noticeably smaller in size. Their droppings are also similar, differing only in size. When feeding on underground parts of plants, it leaves corresponding digs.
