Food Selection and Habitat Association of Starck’s Hare (Lepus starcki Petter, 1963) in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Research Article

**Food Selection and Habitat Association of Starck’s Hare (Lepus starcki Petter, 1963) in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia**

Tariku Mekonnen, Mohammed Yaba, Afework Bekele and J. Malcolm

Starck’s hare (Lepus starcki Petter, 1963) is one of the endemic mammals of Ethiopia and potentially a very important part of the ecosystem. In this study, the food and habitat selection of Starck’s hare was investigated. To estimate the coverage of vegetation in the study area, the line intercept’ method was used. Diet was identified by analyzing faecal pellets and direct observation. Vegetation coverage was high (65.21%) during the wet season and low (<30%) during the dry season. The vegetation consisted of 27 plant species of which 21 were herbs, four grasses and 2 were shrubs. Monocotyledons occurred in higher percentage frequency in the diet of Starck’s hare during both seasons. Among the grasses, Festuca spp. was the most available and important food source for Starck’s hare during both seasons. The highest number of starck’s hares was recorded from rocky grass land during the wet season and from wetland during the dry season. Lepus starcki is an important component in the diet of the Ethiopian wolf and as a result proper management measures should be taken to conserve the endangered species.

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Tariku Mekonnen, Mohammed Yaba, Afework Bekele and J. Malcolm, 2011. Food Selection and Habitat Association of Starck’s Hare (Lepus starcki Petter, 1963) in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. Asian Journal of Applied Sciences, 4: 728-734.

DOI: 10.3923/ajaps.2011.728.734

URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ajaps.2011.728.734

Asian Journal of Applied Sciences

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Authors

Tariku Mekonnen

Mohammed Yaba

Afework Bekele

J. Malcolm

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Research Article

**Food Selection and Habitat Association of Starck’s Hare (Lepus starcki Petter, 1963) in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia**

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