West Sahara hare

{{Short description|Species of mammal}}

{{speciesbox

| genus = Lepus

| species = saharae

| authority = Soria-Boix, Donat-Torres, Idrissi, & Urios, 2019

}}

The west Sahara hare (Lepus saharae) is a species of hare native to Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, and Senegal, as well as possibly Niger, and Burkina Faso. It was first described in 2019 and was noted as having different fur markings and a narrower, longer body than other African hares, with notably long hind legs in relation to the rest of its body. The underside of its body has more white fur than the cape hare (Lepus capensis), and the black spot on the tip of its ears is less prominent.{{cite journal |last1=Soria-Boix |first1=C. |last2=Donat-Torres |first2=M. P. |last3=Rguibi Idrissi |first3=H. |last4=Urios |first4=V. |year=2019 |title=Evolutionary ecology of hares (Lepus spp.) from northwestern Africa; The problem of cryptic species and the description of a new species (Lepus saharae sp. nov.) |journal=Evolutionary Ecology Research |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=537–555 |hdl=10251/167876 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345776861}} It may be preyed upon by the Pharaoh eagle-owl.{{Cite journal |last=Kayser |first=Yves |last2=Bergier |first2=Patrick |last3=Durand |first3=Eric |last4=Bousadik |first4=Halima |last5=Qninba |first5=Abdeljebbar |last6=Thevenot |first6=Michel |date=2023 |title=Analyses du régime alimentaire du Grand-duc ascalaphe dans le sud de l'Oued Ad Deheb |url=https://hal.science/hal-04648574 |journal=Eléments d'Ornithologie Marocaine |language=fr |issue=eom2301 |pages=[1–10]}} Specimens that are now considered to be part of L. saharae were once assigned to L. capensis, a widely distributed species that likely represents a species complex.{{Cite mdd|id=1006762|species=saharae|genus=Lepus|access-date=4 June 2025}}