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Snowshoe hare - LEPUS AMERICANUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Hare": "Hare" comes from Old English "hara," a word for the animal.
Location: Northern United States and Canada.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Evergreen woodlands with plenty of vegetation.
Description: One distinctive feature of the snowshoe hare is the seasonal change in coat color. For camouflage, in summer the hare is reddish brown above and white underneath, while in winter it becomes totally white, except for the tips of its ears, which remain black. Another unmistakable feature is its hind feet, which are quite broad and they are covered with a dense coat in winter, which facilitates movement on the snow-covered ground. (Mother nature's snowshoes.) They can reach a length of two feet including their two inch tail, and they can weight 3 to 4 lbs.
Behavior: This hare is completely vegetarian, feeding on many plant species in summer, and bark and shoots in winter. Like the other species of Lepus, the snowshoe hare is essentially a solitary animal. Its home range includes various burrows and tracks which are regularly used. The main predators of the snowshoe hare are coyotes, bobcats, lynxes, red foxes, weasels - and man. The main difference between hares and rabbits is that rabbits burrow and hares do not. Rabbits hide from danger in the burrows, while hares run. Hares have therefore adapted long legs for running and large ears to give them a good head start.
Reproduction: The reproductive period occurs between March and August, with gestation lasting a month to five weeks. The female delivers a litter of two to six young, 2 or 3 times a year. The young are very precocious: crawling at one day, nibbling grass at ten days, and weaned after one month.
Go to the Rabbits Page to get a general discussion of this order of animals.
Go to the Rabbits Index to study the other rabbits and hares included in America Zoo.
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