Scrub Hare
Scrub Hare spoor is identified like this: distinctive pattern with two small front feet landing one behind the other, and two large hind feet landing side-by-side in front. Scrub hares are strictly nocturnal, spending their days resting in a shallow depression in the ground called a 'form' to stay hidden from predators.
Spoor Signature
Scrub Hare
"Distinctive pattern with two small front feet landing one behind the other, and two large hind feet landing side-by-side in front."
Spoor Profile
| Species | Scrub Hare |
|---|---|
| Group | Small Mammals |
| Track signature | Distinctive pattern with two small front feet landing one behind the other, and two large hind feet landing side-by-side in front. |
| Activity pattern | Small mammal tracks are subtle and short-lived. Fine river sand and the smoothed edges of gravel roads hold the clearest imprints. |
Field Wisdom: Scrub Hare
Knowing the animal makes reading its spoor far easier. These field notes explain the behaviour behind the tracks you find.
- 1
Scrub hares are strictly nocturnal, spending their days resting in a shallow depression in the ground called a 'form' to stay hidden from predators.
- 2
Unlike rabbits, scrub hares are born fully furred and with their eyes open, allowing them to remain mobile and alert from the moment of birth.
- 3
They are masters of evasion, relying on explosive bursts of speed reaching up to 70 kilometers per hour and erratic zig-zagging to escape predators like leopards and eagles.
- 4
To avoid detection, they remain perfectly motionless when threatened, using their mottled, sandy-brown coat to blend seamlessly into the dry grasses and scrub of the bushveld.
- 5
Scrub hare footprints, or spoor, show distinctive elongated hind tracks that land ahead of the smaller front feet when bounding, a classic lagomorph sign easily spotted in the sandy soils of Kruger's northern dust roads.
- 6
During the wet summer months in Kruger, scrub hares frequently shift their feeding zones to newly sprouted grasses near temporary pans, taking advantage of the flush of nutritious vegetation.
- 7
Within Kruger National Park, scrub hares show a strong preference for the transitional ecotones between dense knobthorn thickets and open savanna, where patchy shrub cover provides both food and immediate escape routes.
- 8
As solitary animals, adult scrub hares maintain strict personal home ranges and only interact briefly for mating, meaning visitors will almost always encounter them alone rather than in groups.
- 9
Beyond mammalian carnivores, scrub hares form a critical dietary staple for Kruger's raptor population, frequently falling prey to martial eagles and spotted eagle-owls hunting over the bushveld at dusk.
- 10
While they obtain most of their required moisture directly from the green grasses and roots they consume, scrub hares will occasionally visit Kruger's waterholes at night during extreme dry spells to drink.
Identification Protocol
- 1
Analyze the substrate. Soft river sand near Skukuza will provide deep, clear imprints, while hard northern mopaneveld soil requires looking for shallow "ticks" or claw marks.
- 2
Look for the stride length. A walking Scrub Hare will leave a regular, repeating pattern. Changes in gait often signal proximity to water or recent predator interaction.
Compare Similar Spoor
Spoor that trackers routinely compare against Scrub Hare prints in the field: