Lepus saxatilis
Silhouette: Jan A. Venter, Herbert H. T. Prins, David A. Balfour & Rob Slotow (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The Cape scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis) (Afrikaans: ribbokhaas) is a species of hare found in South Africa and Namibia. Although it is listed as a least concern species, the population has been declining and is expected to decline by 20% over the next 100 years, according to a 2004 report.
Frédéric Cuvier wrote the first description of the Cape scrub hare in 1823. It was one of two hares (species in the genus Lepus) known at the time to inhabit South Africa, with the other being the Cape hare (L. capensis). Its taxonomy has since been confused, especially in the region south of the Cunene and Zambezi rivers. The species referred to as the Cape scrub hare is considered to have diverged from the African savanna hare (L. victoriae) fairly recently, but further clarifications on the species' taxonomy requires study of other African hare populations. Populations of Cape hare found in Sardinia and coastal North Africa were found to be more closely related to the Cape scrub hare and the European hare (L. europaeus) than they were to other Cape hares in southern Africa based on phylogenetic analysis. These related hares have been considered part of the Mediterranean hare species... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
No species of the same family or order lives in De Hoop Nature Reserve, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Scrub Hare sighting in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 18 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Scrub Hare in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January, April and June–August, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scrub Hare sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Scrub Hare sightings, De Hoop Nature Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scrub Hare is recorded against all the mammals logged in De Hoop Nature Reserve (14 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
