Tag rabbit

Which land mammal is the only one that does not have paw pads?

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Of all the land mammals that have paws, which land mammal is the only one that does not have paw pads?

Mammals are vertebrate (backboned) animals with fur or hair, a neocortex (a region of the brain) and the females have mammary glands to feed milk to their young. Mammals include humans, cats, dogs, horses, bears, rats, mice, rabbits, hares, weasels, elephants, etc. 

A paw is an animal’s foot with claws and paw pads. 

Not every mammal has paws. Ungulate (hoofed) mammals do not have paws – they have hoofs (or hooves).

Paw pads are hairless, usually dark-coloured or pink-coloured cushions on the soles of the feet of some land mammals. Paw pads help animals to grip the ground, making it easier to walk and run over its land terrain.

Not every mammal with paws has paw pads.

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Tolai Hare

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The Tolai Hare (Lepus tolai) is a lagomorph mammal in the Leporidae family of hares. 

The Tolai Hare is variable in colour, but it usually has pale-brown, sandy-grey, or brownish-yellow fur. It has a white underbelly. It has black-tipped elongated ears. It has long legs, a flexible neck, and a short, stub tail, called a scut, with a brownish-black stripe on the top. It has large incisors (front teeth) as well as cheek teeth. It has orange-brown eyes.

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Holland Lop Rabbit

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The Holland Lop Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus) is a mammal in the Leporidae family of domestic lop-eared rabbits. It is a sub-species of the European Rabbit. It is a leporid mammal, or a lagomorph.

The Holland Lop Rabbit is a hybrid of the French Lop Rabbit and the Netherland Dwarf Rabbit. It is small, light, and fluffly. It has a wide range of colours, but it is mainly white, light orange, grey, brown, or dark chocolate brown. It has a white underbelly. 

It is famous for its lopped, almond-shaped ears that hang limply down the side of its face, instead of standing upwards. Its legs are short with claws on its feet. It has a short tail called a scut. It has black or brown eyes. It has incisors (front teeth) as well as cheek teeth. 

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Patagonian Mara

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The Patagonian Mara (Dolichotis patagonum) is a large mammal in the Caviidae family of rodents. It is also known as the Patagonian Hare or the Patagonian Cavy. It is a cavid, related to the Guinea Pig. 

The Patagonian Mara looks like a mixture of a hare, a jackrabbit, and a guinea pig. It has long ears and long legs. Its hind (back) legs are longer than its fore (front) legs. Its front feet have four toes and its back feet have three toes. Its tail is short and hairless. It has grey fur with orange-yellowish sides and chin, and a white patch on its rump. It has a white underbelly. 

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European Hare

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The European Hare (Lepus europaeus) is a lagomorph, specifically a leporid mammal, such as hares and rabbits. It is also known as the Brown Hare.

The European Hare has grey, rufous (red-brown), or brown fur. It has a white underbelly. It has black-tipped elongated ears, long legs, a flexible neck, and a short, stub, white tail, called a scut. It has large incisors (front teeth) as well as cheek teeth. It has orange-brown eyes.

Its head and body length can range from 60-75 centimetres (24-30 inches), with a tail length of 7-11 centimetres (3-4 inches). Its ears range from 9-11 centimetres (3.5-4 inches).

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South African Springhare

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The South African springhare (Pedetes capensis) is not a hare, nor a rabbit. It is a large rodent. It is a mammal.

The South African Spring Hare is cinnamon-brown to yellowish-gold with black-tipped hairs. Its underbelly is white to yellowish-white. It has an elongated body with long hind-legs (back legs) and shorter fore-legs (front legs). It has long sharp claws. It has large ears, large eyes, and a long bushy tail. Its fur is long and soft.

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