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Here is the hisvaadus that presents this idea (in seif yud). Found by googling so I can't provide any additional information. ‫ובזה גופא — קוראים פ׳ שמיני‬ ‫שמונה פעמים. וכמדובר פעם הפתגם‬ ‫בזה מחסידי פולין: שמיני שמונה‬ ‫שמנה, כלומר, ששנה שקוראים בה פ׳‬ ‫שמיני שמונה פעמים — תהי׳ שנה‬ ‫״שמנה״.‬

It's pretty much the consensus that arneves is the hare (or rabbit - they're different species but are pretty closely related). Various translators identify the shafan as another species of hare (or coney), or as a jerboa, or as a hyrax. The last one seems to be the most well-founded.

The Malbim explains this in his commentary "Hatorah Ve'hamitva" to Sifra 73 (explained here to the best of my understanding): Camel hooves are in fact partially split, and according to common science they are considered to have "split hooves". However the Torah requires (see Vayikra 11:3 and Rashi there) that they be "שסעת שסע" - completely split into ...

The Maskil LeDavid on Rashi in Vayikra 10:17 asks the same question. He says that we must say that all the sin offerings were coming to atone for something, that's the nature of a sin offering. Rashi (Vayikra 10:16) tells us that 3 sin offerings were brought that day, and the Maskil LeDavid explains what they were for: “[Take] a he-goat [as a ...

Ralbag's commentary clarifies that "עָלֶיהָ/on it" means "on the fire", and that they placed the incense on the fire after placing the fire on the inner altar. [The Torah would not say "וַיָּשִׂימוּ בָהֵן קְטֹרֶת/and placed incense in them", in the pans, because they didn't put the incense in the pans according to Ralbag.]