Lepus saxatilis
Silhouette: Jan A. Venter, Herbert H. T. Prins, David A. Balfour & Rob Slotow (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 uMkhuze Game Reserve, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Scrub Hare sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 26 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and October
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Scrub Hare in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in April–September and November–January, the lowest months. Those are among uMkhuze Game Reserve's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in July.
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.
3rd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Scrub Hare sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 30%) and Addo Elephant National Park (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 uMkhuze Game Reserve (5 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.
