Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

for eating grass species. During the dry season, they fed on a more diverse set of plants then in the
wet season, despite the greater plant diversity in the wet season. This might be due to the relatively
lower availability of grass in the dry season. Certain species such as Alchemilla spp were never eaten
although abundant.
From all the grass species identified fro the study area, Starck’s hares fed most frequently on
Festuca species. This was the most available soft grass species. Soft and green parts of the plants
were the most preferred in both seasons. Most literature describes hares as generalized herbivores,
with a diet consisting primarily of grasses and shrubs but also bark, fruits, leaves and buds depending
on habitat type (Hamolka 1987; Rao et al. 2002). However, in the present study, hares were observed
feeding almost exclusively on grass with very limited herbs. The habitat of Starck’s hare similar to
that recorded by Kingdon (1997).
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program (EWCP) and Addis Ababa
University for providing financial and material support.
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