Y is for Yarkand Hare

This Yarkand Hare is restricted to the Tarim Basin of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The Yarkand hare is distributed in scattered oases which are physically isolated by the desert.
It is a mainly nocturnal species, generally out in early morning or late evening, but may also feed at night. It hides in depressions, under vegetation, during the day.
The female produces two or three litters annually, each consisting of two to five young.
A young / baby of a Yarkand hare is called a 'leveret'. The females are called 'doe or jill' and males 'buck or jack'. A Yarkand hare group is called a 'band or down'.
It is hunted as a game species and, between 1958 and 1981, annually about 10,000 furs were produced from the Yarkand hare. Human activities such as transportation development and petroleum exploration has led to the population decline of the species.