Tolai hare (Lepus tolai). Four Seasons of the Tolai Hare Habitats of the Manchurian Hare

26.10.2019

A hare is an animal that belongs to the class Mammals, order Lagomorphs, family Hare, genus Hare ( Lepus). Contrary to popular belief, they do not belong to rodents and are far from being so harmless. In case of danger, they show aggressiveness and resist the attacker. Since ancient times, the hare has been a desirable trophy for hunters because of its delicious meat and warm fur.

Hare - description, characteristics, appearance. What does a hare look like?

hare body slender, slightly compressed from the sides, its length in some species reaches 68-70 cm. The weight of a hare can exceed 7 kg. A characteristic feature of the hare is wedge-shaped ears, reaching a length of 9 to 15 cm. Thanks to the ears, the hearing of the hare is much better developed than the sense of smell and vision. The hind limbs of these mammals have long feet and are more developed than the front ones. In the event of a threat, the speed of a hare can reach 80 km / h. And the ability to suddenly change the direction of running and jump sharply to the side allows these animals to get rid of the pursuit of enemies:, etc. Hares run well up the slopes, but you have to go down head over heels.

hare color depends on the season. In summer, the fur of the animal has a reddish-gray, brown or brown tint. Due to the dark color of the undercoat, the color is uneven with large and small "spots". The fur on the belly is white. Hares change color in winter, their fur brightens, but only the white hare becomes completely snow-white. The tips of the ears of all members of the genus remain black all year round.

How long does a hare live?

The average life expectancy of males does not exceed 5 years, females - 9 years, however, there are recorded cases of a longer life span of a hare - about 12-14 years.

Types of hares, names and photos

The genus of hares is diverse and includes 10 subgenera, divided into several species. Below are several types of hares:

Hare– hare(Lepus timidus )

The most common representative of the genus of hares, living in almost the entire territory of Russia, in Northern Europe, Ireland, Mongolia, South America and in many other countries of the world. This species of hares is distinguished by characteristic seasonal dimorphism - in areas with stable snow cover, the color of the fur becomes pure white, with the exception of the tips of the ears. In summer, the hare is gray.

hare(Lepus europaeus )

A large species of hares, some individuals of which grow up to 68 cm in length and weigh up to 7 kg. The fur of the hare is shiny, silky, with a characteristic waviness, different shades of brown, white rings around the eyes. The habitat of the hare covers the European forest-steppes, Turkey, Iran, the north of the African continent and Kazakhstan.

Antelope hare(Lepus alleni )

Representatives of the species are distinguished by very large and long ears, growing up to 20 cm. The auricles are designed in such a way that they allow the animal to regulate heat transfer at too high a temperature of the habitat. The antelope hare lives in the state of Arizona in the USA and 4 Mexican states.

Chinese hare(Lepus sinensis )

The species is characterized by small body size (up to 45 cm) and weight up to 2 kg. The coloring of short, hard fur consists of many shades of brown, from chestnut to brick. A characteristic black triangular pattern stands out at the tips of the ears. This species of hares is found in the hilly areas of China, Vietnam and Taiwan.

tolai hare(Lepus tolai )

Medium-sized individuals outwardly resemble a hare, but differ in longer ears and legs, as well as the absence of crimped fur. This hare is a typical representative of deserts and semi-deserts, lives in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and in the Russian steppes - from the Altai Territory to the south of the Astrakhan Region.

yellow hare(Lepus flavigularis )

The only population of yellowish hares inhabits the meadows and coastal dunes of the Gulf of Mexico Tehuantepec, hence it has a second name - the Tehuantepec hare. Large individuals, up to 60 cm long and weighing 3.5-4 kg, are difficult to confuse with other types of hares due to two black stripes running from the ears to the back of the head and along the white sides.

broom hare(Lepus castroviejoi )

The habitat of this species of hares is limited to the scrub wastelands of the north-west of the Cantabrian mountains of Spain. In appearance and habits, there is a resemblance to a brown hare. Due to extermination, predation and violation of the natural ecosystem, the species is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the Red Book of Spain.

blacktail(California) hare (Lepus californicus )

The species is characterized by long ears, powerful hind limbs, a dark stripe running along the back, and a black tail. It is considered the most common species of hares in Mexico and the United States.

Manchurian hare(Lepus mandshuricus )

Small representatives of this species of hares grow up to 55 cm and weigh no more than 2.5 kg. Ears, tail and hind legs are quite short, due to which there is a clear resemblance to a wild rabbit. The fur is hard and short, brown in color with black ripples. A typical representative of deciduous forests and shrub plains can be found in the Far East, in Primorye, as well as in Northeast China and Korea.

Curly hare (Tibetan curly hare)(Lepus ioostolus )

The species is distinguished by small size (40 - 58 cm) and a weight of just over 2 kg. A characteristic feature is the yellowish wavy fur on the back. It lives in India, Nepal and China, including the mountain steppes of the Tibetan highlands, from where it got its second name - the Tibetan curly hare.

The classic image of the little gray coward-bunny from the New Year's song about the Christmas tree has nothing to do with the tolai hare: this representative of the genus of hares is accustomed not to snow, but to sand. It is even called a sand hare. The color of the skin of this animal - gray, with an ocher bloom, slightly variegated - is designed for that. to merge with the sandy surface, and large, even by hare standards, ears, by increasing the area of evaporation, serve to cool the body in desert heat.

An inhabitant of the steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, this hare is widespread in Central Asia and, in - in Altai, in the Chui steppe and in the steppes of Transbaikalia; it is also common in the desert-steppe regions of Northwest, Afghanistan and Northeast, in the deserts of Arabia and Northeast Africa. It is also found in the mountains, at an altitude of up to 3 thousand m - along river valleys, in upland steppes. The main thing for the tolai hare is the presence of desert spaces with bushes or clumps of tall grass, so that there is somewhere to hide.

At first glance, the tolai hare is like two drops of water similar to the brown hare, but a careful comparison reveals some differences. Tolai is smaller than a hare, but their ears and tail are of the same length and, relative to the body, are longer than those of other hares. He is simply a long-eared champion! Living in the sands, the tolai does not change color for the winter: of course, it sheds, like other hares, in spring and autumn, but the fur retains its “sand” color all year round, except that it becomes a little lighter in winter (however, like the hare). The head, tail and tips of the ears of the tolai are darker than the back (the hare has distinct black tips of the ears all year round), and the belly, throat and tip of the tail are white. In principle, the fur coat of this hare is almost the same as that of a light hare, but without the characteristic waviness. Another fundamental difference between the tolai is the rather narrow feet of the hind legs, which do not look like the “skis” of the hare and hare, which run in deep snow.

Fast legs and unpretentiousness in food help the tolai hare to master even the most meager landscapes. True, in the north of its range, where winters are quite severe, the animal gives birth no more than twice a year, and sometimes only once. In Central Asia, where the food base is richer, hares appear at tolai up to four times a year. In any case, the existence of this species does not cause concern among zoologists; it is taken under protection only in Transbaikalia.

NOT COURAGE, BUT RESISTANCE

Tolai leads a sedentary life and rarely leaves his plot, which, as a rule, does not exceed 2 hectares. In the daytime, a cautious animal lies down for a day, so as not to catch the eye of predators once again. It is known that the hare, seeing the danger, is able to remain motionless in its shelter until the last and takes off running only when the predator detects it. It would be wrong to attribute such behavior to proverbial hare cowardice - rather, it speaks of enviable endurance and even composure. Shelters, the so-called lairs, are arranged by the most uncomplicated tolai: they slightly deepen the soil under a bush or a curtain of tall grass, and more often they simply occupy abandoned burrows of other animals: foxes, marmots, ground squirrels, and turtles in the desert.

SAFE DUSK

Sand hares are active mainly at night, when they are protected from at least one, and at the same time the most important danger in the steppe and desert - a feathered predator vigilantly watching the surface of the earth from the skies.

Under the cover of darkness, tolai go out to feed, while they feed mainly in the same places, so they manage to tread noticeable paths from the “bedroom” to the “dining room”. In search of a pair, hares also prefer to go after sunset.

HARE PASSION

The tournaments that the tolai males arrange during the rut make us take a different look at these cautious eared animals. Serious passions boil here! Sometimes up to five applicants fight for one female, and the one who intends to be the strongest has to defeat four. Males beat each other with their paws, bite on the ears and on the scruff of the neck, and, most surprisingly, scream piercingly. The cry of a hare is difficult to bear for the human ear, since it is very similar to the hysterical cry of a baby crying.

GENERAL CHILDREN

50 days after mating with a winning hare, the female tolai brings cubs (for the first time, one or two, then from three to five). Similar to cartoon characters, hares are born sighted and fluffy. They feed on mother's milk for a short time, only a few weeks, and then they switch to an adult diet - herbaceous plants. However, the definition of “mother's milk” needs to be clarified: it is not the mother who feeds the babies, but any hare running past. The fact is that females of the same population bring cubs almost simultaneously, so all the hares in the district are the same age. Literally right after the birth, the hare-mother leaves the babies alone. It is clear that this is by no means negligence, but, on the contrary, concern for offspring. The smell of an adult hare is able to attract a predator from which the mother cannot protect her cubs, and the rabbits themselves do not smell at all yet. Lying quietly in a shelter, they wait to be fed, and this will be done by any female running past. Despite the fact that the places of beds are well known to all the hares living in the neighborhood, not a single hare will be left without milk.

TOLAI HARE IN THE FOOD CHAIN

The main food of the tolai hare, like the white hare, is the green parts of plants, roots and bulbs. In summer, the animal feeds mainly on herbaceous plants, various grasses and sedges. In autumn it passes to seeds, and in winter - to young shoots and bark of various trees and shrubs, and, if possible, digs up herbaceous plants from under shallow snow.

NUTRITION OF THE HARE-TOLAI

LEONTICA DOUBTY

This herbaceous plant from the barberry family produces only 2-3 leaves. But what! Of two or three ovoid, large, up to 5 cm, fleshy plates. You don't see them very often in dry places. The fruits-boxes of leontitsa are also amazing - large purple balls, covered with a network of thin veins, are collected in a bundle.

BURACHOK DESERT

In the spring, ephemera are included in the diet of tolai. Among them is the desert beetroot. The stems of this plant from the cabbage family are not long, up to 20 cm, grayish from the hairs covering them, and the green leaves are narrow, small. But the beetroot forms dense thickets, in which there is something to eat.

COMBER BRANCH

A small tree or shrub from the tamarisk family, known in Russia as a god tree, and in Central Asia and Kazakhstan as jengil. The comb grows in deserts, semi-deserts and steppes, is able to survive on solonetzes and salt marshes, along the edges of takyrs and on dunes, is undemanding to soils and cold-resistant. One important requirement for this hardy plant is full sun. Even with a slight shading, the comber can die. Tiny pink or crimson flowers, collected in apical panicles, cover the branches so densely that leaves are sometimes not visible on the bush. Moreover, the leaves of the comb are scaly and very tiny, no more than 7 mm. But if not the whole bush has bloomed yet, it seems as if a pink cloud has descended on a delicate green crown. Animals, however, prefer not to admire the comb, but eat its thin branches and twigs.

CHINGIL

Deciduous salt- and drought-resistant shrub from the legume family, from 0.5 to 2-3 m high, with gray cracking bark and silvery leaves, especially good at the time of flowering. It was as if a large flock of delicate pink or pale purple butterflies had landed on a bush. In August-September, chingil transforms again: it is covered with leathery, swollen, many-seeded yellow-brown beans, which, opening up, take on the most intricate shapes. The handsome man is well protected: his thorns grow up to 6 cm. It is no coincidence that chingil is used to create hedges. Tolai manages, avoiding terrible thorns, not only to eat young shoots, but also to completely gnaw branches. However, the chingil is not so easy to damage. Its powerful and branched root system immediately gives many new shoots.

ENEMIES OF HARE-TOLAI

STEPPE EAGLE

This predator from the hawk family is very beautiful. Dense brown, reddish plumage, dark tail and flight feathers, shaggy "pants" from which yellow paws stick out, beak curved by a hook, yellow at the base. In flight, with wide open huge wings (span - 3 m) and a fan-shaped tail, the eagle is simply magnificent. And the sitting bird has a proud and majestic look. But his fingers are not too strong, with short claws, so his prey is small in size: ground squirrels, hamsters, mice, voles, hares, birds, reptiles. During the hunt, the proud does not hesitate to run along the ground, skipping, only slightly flapping its wings. It is a pity that this small species is on the verge of extinction.

Varieties of hares living on the territory of the former USSR. Tolai hare (sandstone) lives in the steppes of Transbaikalia, in the steppes, semi-deserts and deserts of Central Asia and South Kazakhstan.

Distinctive features of the tolai hare (sandstone)

Externally tolai hare (sandstone) very similar, but much smaller in size. Its weight does not exceed 1.5 - 2.5 kilograms. Coloring uniform yellowish-gray. The coat is relatively short, sparse and does not have the waviness characteristic of the hare. Color does not change with the seasons.

Habitats of the tolai hare (sandstone)

The habitats of the tolai hare (sandstone) there are tugai thickets, and completely open deserts, and low-lying river valleys, and mountain meadows at an altitude of up to 3000 m above sea level. But floodplain shrubs and tall grasses in the valleys of rivers and lakes are most favorable for its life. Here, with an abundance of food and shelters, near the water, the tolai feels especially at ease and its numbers are the largest. The sandpiper really doesn't like deep snow. and in winter it descends from the mountainous regions to the foothills, where there is less snow. The trace of a tolai is similar in outline to a hare, but much smaller.

Distinctive features of the Manchurian hare

Externally Manchurian hare very similar to, but in size it is close to tolai. Its color, which does not change with the seasons of the year, rusty brown with lighter chest, flanks and an almost white belly.

Habitat of the Manchurian hare

Habitat of the Manchurian hare- south of the Far East along the Amur and Ussuri valleys. Like the white this is a typical forest dweller, but not neglecting the continuous arrays of shrubs. He loves deciduous and mixed forests with undergrowth, undergrowth and rich herbage. He avoids entering into clean vast coniferous forests. Due to the very limited area of \u200b\u200bhabitat, this hare in, for sport hunting, is incomparably less important than the European hare, white hare and tolai hare.

The tolai hare, also known as the sandstone, outwardly resembles a small hare. These hares are distributed in Central Asia, Altai, Kazakhstan, Transbaikalia, the Chui steppe, Chita, Ulan-Ude, Mongolia, China, Afghanistan, Northwest India, Iran and Northeast Africa.

Description of the tolai hare

Body length ranges from 39 to 55 centimeters, body weight is 1.5-2.5 kilograms. Long ears are bent forward so that they go behind the nose.

The tail has a wedge-shaped shape, like a hare, its length is 75-115 millimeters, its upper part is black. The feet of the hind limbs are narrow, so sandstones cannot move in deep snow.

The general color is brown-gray or ocher-gray with small strokes. There is no big difference in the seasonal color of the fur. Only hares living in the northern parts of the range and in the mountains brighten a little in winter, but they do not become white. Tolai living in Transbaikalia and Mongolia are larger than hares from Central Asia, and their fur colors are lighter in winter.

Tolai habitats

The habitats of these small hares are very diverse, but they prefer desert areas with tall grass and shrubs. They equally often live in sandy and clay deserts. Also found on the plains and in the mountains.

In mountainous areas, tolai keep along river valleys, and in the steppes they live near the edges of the forest. In the Tien Shan, they are found at an altitude of up to 3 thousand meters, and in the Pamirs they rise even higher.

These hares prefer to settle near water, although they may not drink at all for a long time. They try to avoid deep snow, so in the mountains they descend into less snow-covered belts.

Sandstone Diet

The nature of the diet of these hares is similar to the diet of white hares. In the summer, they eat various herbs, preferring sedge and cereal crops, and they eat wormwood infrequently. In autumn, they move to the bark of trees and branches. With special zeal, they eat chingil and comb, so when tolai multiply en masse, they can almost completely destroy them.

Sandstoners prefer branches less than 1 centimeter thick, and from larger branches they remove the bark. They eat branches of sandy acacia and saxaul not with such an appetite. In some places, the main winter food for tolais is sagebrush.

In the spring, they can dig out the roots and tubers of plants, so you can often find holes made by hares.

Sandstoners feed mainly at night, and they spend their days on deck chairs. In the mountains, they feed during the daytime or at dusk.

Tolai lifestyle

In Central Asia, these hares, as a rule, do not dig holes, they only do it in hot deserts. Burrows, no more than 50 centimeters deep, serve as protection from the heat. Juveniles often hide in the burrows of other animals. For example, in Central Asia they use marmot or ground squirrel burrows.

The breeding season for tolai begins early - in January-February. One female is pursued by 3-5 males, while they arrange fights among themselves and scream piercingly. When hares fight, they rise on their hind legs, and strike with their front limbs. Rivals often bite each other on the scruff of the neck and ears.

Pregnant hares are very shy, they do not move far from their holes while feeding. When a person approaches them, they keep very quiet and literally jump out from under their feet.

The number of litters in Central Asia can be 3 or 4, and in Central Asia the female manages to make 2-3 litters. In the deserts, the first hares are born in March, and in the mountainous regions much later - in May.

The breeding season ends in September. At one time, the female gives birth to up to 9 rabbits. But if the birth occurs for the first time, then there may be 1-2 babies, with the second birth, there are already 3-5 rabbits.

The gestation period is approximately 45 days. Babies have eyesight and wool, their weight is 65-95 grams. Puberty in tolai occurs at 6-8 months.

The number of tolai hares

The number of sandstones is extremely unstable. For example, in certain years in the desert near Lake Issyk-Kul there are so many hares that at dawn from the top you can see several dozen individuals. And in Central Asia, in some years you can not meet a single tolai for several days.

Related species

In Tibet, Nepal and Kashmir in mountainous regions, at an altitude of 3-5 thousand meters, the Tibetan curly hare is common, which is a close relative of the tolai. The name of this species is justified.

The general color of the fur of a curly hare is brown with a pink tint or ocher-pink with a large variegated pattern. The lower part of the body is white. In different seasons, the coloring practically does not change, only the area of the sacrum brightens significantly. Curly-haired hares live among stones and bushes on rocky slopes.

Also close species are some African hares, for example, bush, Cape and red-sided hare. These hares live in the southern regions of Africa among bushes and forest edges. There are African species of hares from southern to northern regions of Africa. In size, they are slightly smaller than sandstones, their length ranges from 35-54 centimeters. Their ears are quite long - up to 13 centimeters. The limbs are short with curly dense hairs.

In North America, there are also several species that are systematically similar to tolai. They live in Texas, Mexico, Colorado, California, Washington, Oregon, Kansas, Nebraska, and Arizona. This is a Californian, black-brown, Mexican hare and others. The size of these hares is slightly larger in comparison with tolays. Their color is brown-gray, it does not change in different seasons. The ears are very wide, of normal length.

Black-tailed hares live in grassy plains, deserts and steppes, but they can also climb hilly and mountainous areas up to 2000 meters. They run fast, for example, the California hare can run at a speed of about 40 kilometers per hour. However, they do not migrate. They breed throughout most of the year. There are 2-3 hares in the brood, and there can be 5 broods per year. In the northern part of the range, females give birth less often, but the size of the hare is larger.

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For lovers of hunting, the tolai hare, or sandstone, is a worthy trophy. In Uzbekistan, it is common on all fixed sands. In regional terms, this is the territory of the Kizilkums from the drying Aral Sea to the coast of Aydarkul, as well as the expanses of the western regions of the Kashkadarya and Bukhara regions. The number of animals in these areas is low: 0.5–1.0, less often 2.0–2.5 specimens per square kilometer.

Under conditions of almost year-round moisture deficiency, Tolai prefers to stay in areas with at least a minimum number of plants.

Insignificant depressions and hollows, the outskirts of takyrs, small valleys between hillocks in the clay-sandy steppe - these are the hare's favorite habitats in waterless areas.

In other areas, he mastered other biotopes.

In the floodplain part of the rivers, tolai lives in dry areas, often on soddy pebbles with few bushes of sucker, tamarix and sea buckthorn.

Where the river left or where the water is only in the winter-spring period, tolai lives on sandy or pebble deposits with preserved reed, sedge, kendyr, parnolistny clumps ...

It also catches the eye in areas with a small population, near villages on waste lands, along rare thickets of wild plants along canals, ditches, and collectors.

Garden areas are rarely used by a hare. Preference is given to young plantations under the age of 5-7 years. Old plantings settle down if they are sparse and have an addition in the form of bushes or root shoots.

Tolai finds a favorable habitat in the foothill regions of the republic. Despite strong food competition with numerous herds of sheep and goats, it manages to survive both on gently sloping rainfed lands and on the adyr area, which has a significant indentation with ravines and soybeans.

Natural formations, named last, are interesting as a habitat for many animals, ranging from insects to mammals.

These canyons, which are dry for most of the year, are quite wide and long, with a sandy-argillaceous or crushed-stone-sandy bed, as a rule, have grassy and shrubby vegetation in the form of single or growing in a group of yantak, wormwood, harmala, capers, bush bindweed, and some -where there are tamarix, almonds, reeds, saltpeter.

Currently, there are no accurate data on the density of tolai in various natural zones of the Samarkand region.

But surveys of hunters allow us to speak with a high degree of certainty about the lands adjacent to the mountains as typical for the habitat of this animal.

In the seventies of the last century, on a ten-kilometer route along the foothills of the Zeravshan Range in the autumn-winter period, it was possible to raise from 5 to 10 hare individuals.

In the same years, taking part in counting tolai on the territories of hunting farms, the author noted a stable number of hares in the steppe areas adjacent to the coast of Aydarkul (2.5-3.0 individuals per square kilometer), and in pistachio plantations along the banks of the Kattakurgan reservoir (3.0-3.5 individuals per square kilometer) in autumn.

The long-eared rodent also lives in the mountains. In a number of regions of Central Asia, it is found up to 4000 meters above sea level.

Within the Samarkand region, it does not rise above 1500-1800 meters, which is due to the physical and geographical features of the area. On the Nurata, Turkestan and Zeravshan ranges, the mountains, as a rule, are represented by stony ridges and rocks that do not correspond to the biology of the species.

The tolay stations here are gentle slopes, where the greatest slope can be 40°.

Respond to the needs of the rodent and areas without a significant accumulation of stones, but always with rare shrub vegetation.

In whatever natural zone the hare lives, its life activity is tied to shrub-tree communities.

That is why in the Central Asian mountain landscapes, tolai is most numerous in the juniper light forest, where it can have a population of up to 5.5 individuals per square kilometer.

Herbaceous vegetation is not the main place in the hare's diet, its share either increases or decreases at different times of the year.

The maximum consumption of soft food occurs in spring and summer. Of the plant diversity, Tolai willingly eats sprouts of cereals, haze, cruciferous.

Where the choice of herbaceous plants is limited by natural factors or pitted by livestock, the animal is content with branches of thermopsis, wormwood, saltwort.

The main food specialization of the hare is based on feeding on trees and shrubs. At all times of the year, these are the bark and small shoots of saxaul, almonds, bladderworts, cherry plums, hawthorns, junipers, etc.

Everywhere, tolai eats willow and poplar basal shoots, which, under unfavorable abiotic factors or under human influence, form a plant in the form of a bush.

In the places where the tracts come out into the foothills, the hare keeps in rare thickets of tamarix-comb, which is also used for food.

In mountainous areas, feeding stations and daytime tolay are always located next to each other or overlap each other.

To a lesser extent, this applies to the valley areas. The choice of bed is significantly influenced by weather factors. Life under the dictation of weather conditions in a rodent begins in December and lasts until March.

Precipitation in Uzbekistan comes with western winds, bringing rain and snow from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.

The movement of large air masses covers vast areas and lasts from several days to a week. A longer impact of the atmospheric front on the region is extremely rare.

The maximum precipitation occurs in mountainous areas. After showers or snowfall, it is time for stabilization when the weather sets in sunny.

Then the local formation of weather conditions begins. The proximity of vast steppes, deserts and mountain systems creates a pronounced daily change of winds.

In the Zeravshan river basin, this is manifested in the following. In the morning hours, the night current of air from the east, from the mountains, after some calm, is replaced by a steady daytime one, from the west.

Ascending air currents from the plains weaken in the evening hours and closer to midnight are replaced by descending ones from the mountains. In clear weather, snow does not lie in the valleys for a long time. Mountains are another matter.

If the steppe habitats of the tolai are freed from snow cover within two to four days, then on the mountain slopes the melting stretches for weeks.

The foothills are the first to be freed from snow, and then even a slight increase in daily temperatures in the valley causes a daily shift of the snow line higher and higher towards the peaks.

The vertical movement of the snow cover forces the tolai to periodically change places of feeding and daytime. Constantly adhering to the habitat, the hare in winter-spring time prefers the southwestern, southern and southeastern slopes of tracts and sais, that is, those areas where the snow disappears sooner.

The rodent willingly lays down for a day in the places where almonds grow. As a rule, the bush does not exceed a height of one meter, although prickly specimens up to two meters high come across.

Almonds grow successfully on both sandy and clay soils, as well as on stony soils. For tolai, it is valuable not only as a food object, but also as a plant that provides protection and shelter at any time of the year.

The hare arranges for lying next to stones, in niches, gullies and depressions caused by wind and water erosion.

In the steppe, the animal uses for shelter pits next to the bushes of tribulus, aderaspana, or the leeward side of compactly growing astragalus, saltwort, as well as the accumulation of sagebrush thickets.

On the rain-fed lands developed by man, the tolai lays down on plowing, along the outskirts of fields, behind large dumps of land.

It spends its days in the upper reaches of small ravines, often under the edge of a crumbling edge or in a hollow overgrown with bushes of capers and yantak.

HUNTING METHODS FOR TOLAI

Hunting for an animal from a shelter is almost never used. In the Samarkand region, hardly a dozen hunters use this method of hunting.

The ambush is set near bridges where the tolai tend to cross from one side of a sewer or canal to the other.

Hunting is more effective in the evening hours, before the onset of dense twilight, and at night on a full moon week.

In this way they hunt both along the black and white trails, but more often before the snow falls.

A chain of beaters from three to six or more people directs the raised animals to the line of shooters, the number of which can be from one to three or four.

It is practiced in areas where there is enough hare and where rodents adhere to certain stations.

An example of such hunting is the surge in pistachio plantations along the banks of the Kattakurgan reservoir.

The green necklace of an artificial reservoir with a length of about 20 kilometers and a width of 50 to 100 meters is a favorite place for a tolay day.

Having posted the shooters in the area where open places are under control, the beaters go along the aisles of tree plantations, raising the lurking animal.

Similar surges are also made in areas with shrubs, reeds, cattails on the coast of Aydarkul.

The scheme of the hunt is as follows. A large peninsula with an area of three to five hectares is selected, on which a hare is most likely to be on the day.

The beaters, trying not to make noise, go to the peninsula one after another, to the extreme piece of land, where they form an organized chain.

The arrows are located at the junction of the peninsula to the mainland.

In conditions of a large indentation of the coastline, it is not difficult to conduct several paddocks during the daytime.

Often they raise and shoot a hare in the mountains along the way - during a group hunt for stone partridge by the route method. It is in this way that half of the animals shot during the season are mined here. Dogs are not used for hare hunting in the republic.

The ancient hunt for the sandstone hare with the help of greyhounds, which took place in the steppe and desert regions, is a thing of the past, as well as hunting with birds of prey.

From conversations with hunters, I learned that about 50% of the animals taken during the season (and in the Samarkand region this is 200-300 heads) are the result of a chance meeting with them in the lands.

There are many experienced hare hunters in the republic. Even in the period of complete absence of snow, these connoisseurs of the tolai lifestyle are able to raise and take two animals in decent areas according to the daily rate of shooting.

In Russia, according to the conditions of the black trail, this is a method of shooting a molted hare by early detection of it on the hare. In Uzbekistan, a similar hunt is carried out before the snow falls, as well as in the snow in the favorite habitats of the tolai.

The color of the skin of a rodent is not of decisive importance, and success accompanies those hunters who can determine the place of his day as accurately as possible.

Hunting along the black trail begins in October and in other snowless winters continues until January.

But, of course, every self-respecting lover of chasing hares is looking forward to the powders with impatience and hope.

When it appears, hunting from the approach merges with the art of tracking, when a day-living animal, found in the tracks after feeding, is spotted on the laying ground with the eyes, which is rare. On the snow, which has been walking all night, the hare leaves a short trail, highly valued by hunters.

The tolai makes a long trail if the day's snow is over in the evening or by midnight. In this case, the traces of fattening animals and the passages to the places of daylight are so confused that experts in trailing shrug.

Usually, difficulties in unraveling the tracks appear when the snow cover after a snowfall falls unevenly on the area where the hare lives (the so-called motley path) or on areas with partial snowmelt.

Unlike the northern relatives - the hare and the white hare, tolai, changing summer clothes for winter ones, does not provide himself with security in the snow.

Grayish-yellow in summer, with a brown stripe on the back, in winter the animal is dressed in a skin of light gray tones, it has a white belly and a brownish-gray stripe on the back.

It is clear that in winter the hare tries to choose thawed soil surfaces for camouflage while lying down.

Moved from a day's work, the tolai, like his long-eared relatives, after walking a little around the neighborhood, returns to the recreation area.

The distance and route of such a move of the animal may be different. This is influenced by the relief of the habitat, the fright of the animal, its physiological state, as well as the weather factor.

Tracking results are better when two hunters are involved. While one untangles the lace of hare tracks, the other, ready to shoot, controls the far sections on both sides of the track.

In a cautious hare, rising from a lying position occurs more often when the distance to the people chasing him is from 20 to 35 meters.

But there are also funny things when the rodent lies “to the last”, watching the approaching hunters, and jumps out of the shelter literally five meters from them.

Hunting along the white path is possible when one shooter remains in a suitable place near an abandoned day camp, and the second, acting as a hound, slowly pursues a raised tolai.

After observing the partner and determining where the hare went, the shooter chooses an ambush place near stones, bushes, near a tree or in a ravine and waits patiently.

The process from the beginning of the pursuit to the final shot takes from thirty minutes to one and a half hours and depends on the terrain, the thickness of the snow cover, the physical condition of the raised animal.

This method of hunting is most effective in the foothill and mountain habitats of the hare, since in such places the snow lasts longer, and the areas where the animal is constantly located are small in area.

Success accompanies experienced hunters in unraveling the tracks, who know the area well.

In addition, the hare must be in good health, since the white trail and difficult terrain imply increased stress on the human body.

The winter outfit of the tolai hunter is a sleeveless jacket or jacket worn over a light sweater, wool trousers and short rubber boots, which can be replaced with tarpaulin or army boots.

Some hunters use a white coat with a hood, which, of course, makes it easier to approach the hare lying at an acceptable distance for a shot.

Fur hats are not suitable for running hunts. Knitted woolen tight-fitting caps of soft colors are commonly used as a headdress.

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT

For tolay shooting, guns with different combat characteristics are used. But heap-beating trunks are preferable.

The appearance of a target at a distance of more than twenty meters leaves no time for reflection, therefore, for sure shots, the right barrel is used for a cartridge with shot No. 4, the left one is used for a cartridge with shot No. 3. A good result is the use of shots No. 5 and No. 4 in containers.

When hunting for tolai, they don’t take a lot of cartridges. Six to eight pieces are enough for daylight hours. It is especially difficult to carry a full bandolier in the mountains.

To prevent a misfire at the time of the shot, and also to exclude poor-quality combat, they try not to use brass shells of old equipment or with a broken anvil under the Centroba.

Experienced hunters for tolay shooting prepare cartridges in folder or plastic cases with a Zhevelo primer.

Living apart for a year, tolai gathers in groups of several heads in a relatively small area for a short breeding period.

It can be both the upper reaches of shallow ravines in the steppe regions, and a rare, low-growing strip of trees and shrubs in the foothill zone, or a gentle ravine with boulders on the watershed between the sayi in the mountains.

Some of them become prey for terrestrial and large raptors during the spring migration of the latter to nesting sites.

A similar natural selection is also observed in the autumn generation of long-eared animals.

Tolai experience significant pressure from poaching, especially with the use of vehicles at night in the flat and foothill areas.

From time to time, epizootics among rodents contribute to the decrease in the number of hare.

The hunters of the Samarkand region remember the outbreak of tularemia in 1990-1992, which led to the almost complete disappearance of the tolai in the steppe and foothill areas of the Zeravshan valley.

The restoration of the number of long-eared rodents occurred only after five to six years.

For experienced hares, the production of 8-10 animals per season becomes the norm.