Jumping Hare

Jumping Hare (Pedetes caffer), a South African rodent, Spring Haas of the Dutch colonists, belonging to the same family (Dipodidæ) as the Jerboas (q.v.). The head much resembles that of a hare, although the ears are shorter; the form of the body is also like that of a hare, but the hind-legs are very long and strong, like those of a kangaroo, and the toes both of fore and hind feet are armed with great claws; and the tail is long and bushy. Its powers of leaping are extraordinary; it clears 20 or 30 feet at a bound. Night is its time of activity, and it then makes mischievous inroads on fields and gardens. Its flesh is eaten. Its range extends from Mozambique and Angola to the Cape.