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Snowshoe Hare

Found in the Alpine region, the snowshoe hare is an interesting animal as it changes color according to the season. Either stays in groups or alone, the hare populates rapidly.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Lagomorpha
Family	Leporidae
Genus	Lepus
Scientific Name	Lepus americanus

Quick Information

Also Known as	Snowshoe rabbit and varying hare
Description	Size: 16-20 in (40.64-50.8 cm); Tail length 0.98-2.1 in (2.5-5.5 cm) Weight: 32-64 oz (0.90-1.8 kg) Color: White throughout the winter and brown during the summer
Subspecies and Distribution	1. Lepus americanus americanus (Erxleben) – Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Montana, and North Dakota 2. L. a. columbiensis (Rhoads) – Washington, British Columbia, and Alberta 3. L. a. cascadensis (Nelson) – Washington and British Columbia 4. L. a. oregonus (Orr) – Oregon 5. L. a. klamathensis (Merriam) – California and Oregon 6. L. a. tahoensis (Orr) – Western Nevada and California 7. L. a. phaeonotus (J. A. Allen) – Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Wisconsin, and Manitoba, 8. L. a. pallidus (Cowan) – British Columbia 9. L. a. dalli (Merriam) – Mackenzie District, Alaska, British Columbia, Yukon 10. L. a. virginianus (Harlan) – Ontario, Massachusetts, Quebec, New Hampshire, Maryland, Maine, Vermont, North Carolina, New York, Virginia, Tennessee Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia 11. L. a. struthopus (Bangs) – Newfoundland, Maine, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and New Brunswick 12. L. a. seclusus (Baker and Hankins) – Wyoming 13. L. a. washingtonii (Baird) – British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington 14. L. a. pineus (Dalquest) – British Columbia, Washington, and Idaho
Habitat	Coniferous forests with thickets, swamps, and undergrowths
Sound & Calls	They snort to express annoyance, squealing sound to defend themselves, emits a clicking noise during the courtship and calling for young hares
Lifespan	Around 5 years
Diet	For summer: Leaves, ferns and grasses For Winter: barks, buds, and twigs
Adaptations	1. Their fur color changes to camoflouge, some of the hares can stay brown throughout the year as a part of adaptation, though it doesn’t serve the purpose. 2. Their hind feet are large and well adapted to run on the snos. The feet are also coated with fur to keep them warm. 3. Their ears have many veins that regulate their body temperatures
Predators	Coyotes, foxes, lynxes, and bobcats
IUCN Conservation Status	Least Concern

Behavior

Snowshoe hares are nocturnal and always have their food at night
They are fast runners and usually change direction quickly, and creating obstructions with leaves to ward off predators
They can swim extremely well and jump in the water in order to run away from predators

Mating and Reproduction

Breeding seasons starts in March for snowshoe hares and males compete for their potential matches. After mating, followed by a gestation period of 36 days, females have 2-4 litters yearly, each including 1-8 young hares or leverets.

Life-cycle

Snowshoe hares are born being fully covered with fur and eyes open. They weigh 1.5-2.6 oz at birth. After a few hours of their birth, they are able to hop. They become fully self dependent after 3-4 weeks. They attains sexual maturity at the age of 1.

Interesting Facts

Snowshoe hares can jump upto 3 meters and they are fast as well. Their general speed is 27 miles per hours.
They efficiently munch on pine needles.

References

Published on May 11th 2019 by Sahana Kanjilal under Coniferous Forest Animals.
Article was last reviewed on 5th December 2022.