First Data on the Seasonal Food Habits of the Cape Hare, Lepus capensis (Lagomorpha: Leporidae) in a Mountain Ecosystem, Northern Algeria

Understanding the food habits of wild animals is crucial for the effective management of wildlife. We investigated the diet of the Cape hare in the Djebel Messaâd mountain, northern Algeria, from September 2021 to August 2022. A total of 120 samples of faecal pellets (ten samples each month, 15–20 pellets per sample) were collected and analysed by means of 30 microhistological analysis. Over the year, the Cape hare consumed a total of 30 plant taxa from 11 families. Average monthly diet comprised mainly of Poaceae (grasses) with a relative abundance of 69.02%, Fabaceae (18.58%), Cupressaceae (6.27%), and eight other families with less than 3% of each. Besides the dominant grasses, forbs were the second most abundant botanical group (20.96%), followed by shrubs and trees, which were consumed in lower proportions (10.02%). Overall, Cape hare's diet was stable from spring to winter, with no significant differences observed both in terms of species richness and diversity. In our study area, the Cape hare can be regarded as a grazer species. Proper management measures should be taken to maintain habitat diversity and prevent its degradation such as overgrazing by livestock, which can reduce the availability of grass species for Cape hare populations.