The myth of the mad March hare
Abstract
From literature1, proverb2 and scientific publications3-6, two aspects of the behaviour of the brown hare, Lepus capensis, are well known. First, they `go mad' in March. Second, boxing is their most spectacular form of male-male competition for mates. Here we show that `madness' is no more a feature of March than of the other months of their long breeding season, and that boxing does not represent intrasexual competition but an interaction between the sexes whereby a female attempts to prevent a male from mating. Finally, we discuss why misleading statements about hare behaviour have remained unchallenged for centuries.
- Publication:
-
Nature
- Pub Date:
- June 1984
- DOI:
- 10.1038/309549a0
- Bibcode:
- 1984Natur.309..549H