Characteristics Food Where I got I info. Young Behavior Habitat Enemies & defense

Characteristics Rabbits and hares are in a group called leopards. Once people thought they were rodents,but this is wrong. Because they are so different they belong to the leopards family. Arctic hares are quite social, but the European hare is really solitary. Arctic hares aren’t like other hares when running, instead they have a long, loping stride. The hares are about 20 inches (53 cm.) long and their tails are almost 2 inches (5 cm.) long. They weigh from 11 to 12 pounds. When it’s really cold the hares stay white all year. When it is not as cold, hares turn grayish-brown. Arctic hares are the biggest hares in north America.

Food Arctic hares’ main foods are woody plants. They eat mosses, lichen, buds, berries, bark, roots, twigs, willow twigs and even seaweed! The meat from a hunter’s trap is even good for these hares. Their main food is the willows, they can smell them under the snow and dig them out. If they can’t get through to the food they pound it with their powerful feet and chew at it with their teeth. Arctic hares are herbivores (plant eaters). When they eat near the shore, they eat kelp and seaweed.

Enemies & Defense Adult arctic hares have few enemies other than the arctic wolf, but young hares get taken by gyrfalcons, arctic foxes and ermine. Lots of predators eat the hares, and hares are not very good at putting up a fight. They can box, scratch and snap but they don’t bite. So, the only way for hares to stay alive is to use their long, fast legs that help them reach speeds of up to 80 km/h! Their fur colour is the same as their surroundings, so it is great camouflage for them.

Behavior Arctic hares are nocturnal. Sometimes they gather in groups of while they are eating. In the farthest northern parts they have been known to gather in groups of 300. In some areas the hares have been known to compete with caribou and musk oxen and they co-exist together.

Young The baby hares (called leverets) are born in small nests lined with the mothers hare, dry plants and moss. The nest is usually found behind rocks or a bush. The young are usually born in early summer. They stop feeding on the mothers milk by the time they are one month old. They look like adults by September. Females begin breeding when they are one year old. Litters are about 3 or 4 pups. When they are born they are completely developed, with total fur, they are able to see, hear and run.

habitat Arctic hares live in the tundra, from Newfoundland to the Northwest territories and on some arctic islands. They also live in the Alps, and Greenland. There are also some in Southern Scandinavia. They like hilly and lowland places. Arctic hares don’t have a permanent home. When it’s really cold, Arctic hares dig dens in snow.

Where I got my info. hare.com of a hare.com hares.com