Prehistoric Models: Lagomorpha

(pikas, hares, and rabbits)

Mammals are a class animals defined as warm-blooded vertebrates, distinguished by the possession of hair or fur, the secretion of milk by females for the nourishment of the young, and (typically) the birth of live young (with only two modern exceptions).

Members of the Order Lagomorpha first appear in the fossil record in the late Paleocene of the Cenozoic (the age of mammals). There are two families: the Leporidae which includes rabbits and hares. The other family is Ochotonidae, which includes habbit’s “short eared” relatives commonly called pikas.

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Superclass: Tetrapoda – Class: Mammalia – Order: Lagomorpha – Family: Leporidae

(Rabbits and Hares)

Eocene to Holocene

Genus and species: Lepus sp.
Common name: Hare
Classification: Family: Leporidae
Time: Holocene
Range: North American
Diet: Herbivore