Meet the nocturnal African springhare of Serengeti

MARA: ACROSS villages and towns in many African communities, folktales about the African springhare and the way it overcomes challenges are loved by children everywhere.

Our ancestors chose this small mammal as a central character to teach children the importance of using intelligence and clever thinking to solve problems.

Through these stories, children learn that wisdom and smart strategies can help overcome even the most difficult situations.

This is nocturnal animal which works at night along side super predators such as lion, leopard, spotted hyena and serval cat.

Despite all these, the African springhare thrives in Serengeti National Park of Tanzania.

African springhare is a cute, rabbit-like mammal which is native to Africa’s savannas and grasslands.

They are nocturnal and known for their long hind legs, which help them leap far up to 3 meters when escaping predators such as lion, leopard and serval cat.

African springhare lead a nocturnal life which means they spend nights foraging and days snoozing in their cozy burrows.

Apart from Serengeti, springhares are found in different savanna grasslands of Tanzania. Springhares live in burrows which they dig themselves, often in sandy or dry soils.

They are herbivores, munching on grasses, seeds, and plants. At night, springhares are pretty active.

They hop around, foraging for food like grasses, seeds, and plants. Their big eyes are super, helpful in the dark, and those long hind legs let them leap away quickly if they sense danger.

This is possible because African springhares are pretty stealthy. It is not easy to capture them at night because their eyes are like built-in night vision goggles.

Their eyes are large and adapted to see in low light, helping them spot predators and find food in the dark.

Springhares use their big eyes to scan the surroundings, spot predators like owls or foxes and navigate while hopping around in the dark.

Their eyes are super sensitive to movement, so they can quickly react to anything suspicious.

Springhares’ night vision ability comes down to their eye structure. The eyes are big with larger corneas to let in more light.

Their eyes are equipped with big lenses to focus light better, they have a reflective layer called tapetum lucidum that bounces light back through the retina.

This combo helps them see in low light. The springhare’s eyes are like the superheroes of night vision.

Thanks to their large lenses and retinas, they can see in low light conditions.

Their eyes are able to move or rotate, likely allowing them to see in shades of green, and they can even detect ultraviolet light.

Springhares aren’t super fans of daylight, their eyes are adapted for night vision, so in bright daylight, they might struggle a bit.

They are like night owls in that way so you may say they are more comfortable hopping around in the dark.

Springhares have got some big and serious ears. This makes their hearing ability to be super sharp, helping them to detect predators or find mates in the dark.

Those big, movable ears help pinpoint sounds, like footsteps or rustling grass.

They have large, movabpinnae or the outer ear parts to catch sounds, the large ears have good blood supply to help regulate temperature and detect subtle sounds as the ears are capable to move independently to pinpoint noise sources and help them stay alert in the savanna at night.

Springhares’ ears are pretty flexible, they can erect their ears to catch sounds better when alert or listening. When resting or sleeping, their ears might fold back or relax.

It’s like they’re adjusting their listening mode. Whether the springhare is asleep or active, it’s not easy to capture them.

Their large, movable ears are highly sensitive to sound, allowing them to detect even the slightest noise.

The auditory canal channels the sound, while the flexible middle ear bones transmit vibrations.

Finally, the powerful inner ear converts these vibrations into signals that the brain can process.

The big outer ears are equipped with a good network of blood vessels which help with thermoregulation and maybe even boost hearing sensitivity.

The bloody vessels help regulate ear temperature, which can affect hearing sharpness because they understated sound changes due to blood flow.

Springhares’ ears are also positioned on the sides of their head, giving them a wide range of hearing.

This helps them detect sounds from different directions, like predators sneaking up.

Their vascular system supports this keen hearing, making them pretty alert in the wild.

Do not under estimate these small animals, Springhares’ ears can pick up sounds from a pretty wide area.

Their super size ears can detect sound from 180 degree around their heads.

Springhare can hear sounds from quite a distance, like 50 to100 meters away.

This is a unique ability which helps them stay alert to predators or find mates in the savanna.

Springhares can pick up a range of sounds which includes low frequency rumbles like predator footsteps, high pitched squeaks like other springhares communicating and rustling in grass or leaves.

They’re tuned in to sounds that help them survive. Springhares have a pretty keen sense of smell, helping them sniff out food like plants, seeds, or roots.

Their nose helps them navigate and find tasty bites in the dark. Springhares do have a Jacobson’s organ.

This is a powerful and special smell detector in their nasal cavity that helps them pick up pheromones and maybe other scents that helps with sniffing out mates or territory.

The Jacobson’s organ in springhares helps them detect pheromones like chemical signals from other springhares.

The organ is like a super-sniffer for social signals. It is used to detect mates or rivals, sense territory markings and maybe even detect food scents.

Its pretty useful for a solitary and nocturnal animal of savanna.

Springhares are pretty chill, solitary creatures, they live in burrows they dig themselves are nocturnal, so active at night.

Run around eating plants, seeds, and grasses as they use their keen senses to stay safe.

Springhares are solitary, so not super social, they breed when females are receptive especially during breeding seasons.

Males use scent marks, sounds, or displays to attract mates and they do not have long-term pair bonds.

Male springhares use their keen senses to detect when a female is receptive.

Males chase females, doing mating runs, but sometimes females might lead males on a bit, then allow mating because they do not have big courtship displays, it is a pretty straightforward love story.

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For springhares, the female’s receptive period is pretty short, typically it lasts about one to three days it always during breeding season especially during wet seasons in savannas.

They might have a few cycles if not pregnant. Springhares usually have one to three kittens per litter from a gestation period which is made by 77 to 82 days.

The kittens are born in burrows, blind and helpless. Springhare moms nurse their kittens for three to four weeks when kittens start eating greens or plants.

Weaning for springhare kittens starts around the fourth week when they start nibbling plants and they are full independent from the sixth week after birth.

Springhares are like introverts they prefer solo life likely due to food competition, a strategy for predator avoidance and burrow ownership.

Springhares are total lone wolves, each has its own burrow system. The owner mark territories with scent, meet others mainly for breeding.

This means less drama, less competition and more time for munching plants.

Springhare burrows are pretty expedient, they are 0.5-1 metre deep and can be like 10 to 20 meters long with multiple entrances for quick escapes and a special spot for resting or hiding, it is like a comfy underground hideout.

Springhares are like mini excavators, they Use strong hind legs and powerful claws to dig, kick soil back with hind legs.

They make tunnels, chambers for resting constantly digging and expanding.

Springhares dig like pros, they dig with front claws, kick soil backwards.

They use hind legs to push soil out of burrow like a little underground bulldozer. Springhares got power in their hind legs.

Their hind leg muscles are super strong, springhare can jump like two to three meters high that enables crazy fast escapes from predators.

Springhares are speed animals, they can hit like 40 to 50 kilometres per hour, they are super fast for their size.