Summer coat, photographed in Olympic National Park, Washington
Winter coat, photographed near Shirleys Bay, Ontario
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Lagomorpha
Family:
Leporidae
Genus:
Lepus
Species:
L. americanus
Binomial name
Lepus americanus
Erxleben, 1777
Snowshoe hare range
The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Its feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from freezing temperatures.
For camouflage, its fur turns white during the winter and rusty brown during the summer. Its flanks are white year-round. The snowshoe hare is also distinguishable by the black tufts of fur on the edge of its ears. Its ears are shorter than those of most other hares.
In summer, it feeds on plants such as grass, ferns, and leaves; in winter, it eats twigs, the bark from trees, and plants and, similar to the Arctic hare, has been known to occasionally eat dead animals.[3] It can sometimes be seen feeding in small groups. This animal is mainly active at night and does not hibernate. The snowshoe hare may have up to four litters in a year, which average three to eight young. Males compete for females, and females may breed with several males.
A major predator of the snowshoe hare is the Canada lynx. Historical records of animals caught by fur hunters over hundreds of years show the lynx and hare numbers rising and falling in a cycle, which has made the hare known to biology students worldwide as a case study of the relationship between numbers of predators and their prey.[4][5][6]
^Hoffman, R.S.; Smith, A.T. (2005). "Order Lagomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^Mills, L.; Smith, A.T. (2019). "Lepus americanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T41273A45185466. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41273A45185466.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^"Snowshoe Hare". eNature: FieldGuides. 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2008.
^Krebs, C. J.; Boonstra, R.; Boutin, S.; Sinclair, A. R. (2001). "What Drives the 10-year Cycle of Snowshoe Hares?" (PDF). AIBS Bulletin. 51 (1): 25–35.
^Krebs, Charles & Myers, Judy (12 July 2014). "The Snowshoe Hare 10-year Cycle – A Cautionary Tale". Ecological Rants. University of British Columbia. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
^"Predators and their prey". BBC Bitesize. BBC. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
The snowshoehare (Lepus americanus), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe"...
falls in snowshoehare populations over the years in Alaska and central Canada. The Canada lynx population increases with an increasing hare population;...
pivoting-crampon snowshoes. Before people built snowshoes, nature provided examples. Several animals, most notably the snowshoehare, had evolved over...
horned owls are even more dependent on the snowshoehare. At the peak of the 10-year hare cycle, snowshoehares were by far the largest component of both...
rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes the pikas). Oryctolagus...
can be quickly shed off when warmer temperatures arrive. But with the snowshoehare it will change the color of its fur from white to brown or with patches...
The Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with...
well-known example is that of the snowshoehare and lynx. Over a broad span of boreal forests in Alaska and Canada, the hare populations fluctuate in near...
North America, the phenomenon was identified in populations of the snowshoehare. In 1865, trappers with the Hudson's Bay Company were catching plenty...
hare (Lepus timidus), also known as blue hare, tundra hare, variable hare, white hare, snow hare, alpine hare, and Irish hare, is a Palearctic hare that...
European hare (Lepus europaeus), also known as the brown hare, is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species...
state of Alaska in the United States, the other being the more common snowshoehare. Both male and female adults of Lepus othus normally measure between...
of lagomorphs, the order which also includes the Leporidae (rabbits and hares). They are the smallest animal in the lagomorph group. Only one genus, Ochotona...
collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus), stoat (Mustela erminea), and snowshoehare (Lepus americanus), seasonal color change between brown in summer and...
snowshoehare. The levels of sparteine in the leaves cycle, becoming higher at night, when herbivory is more likely to occur. In addition to the hare...
are the black-tailed jackrabbit, the white-tailed jackrabbit, and the snowshoehare. The nominal antelope is not any kind of true, Old World antelope, but...
make up nine-tenths of an Isle Royale wolf's diet (the remainder being snowshoehare and beaver). Moose in their prime years commonly outrun wolves in a...
1 genus of hare (33 species) and 1 genus of pika (34 species). The name of the order is derived from the Ancient Greek lagos (λαγώς, "hare") + morphē...
name, Lagopus, is derived from Ancient Greek lagos (λαγώς lagṓs), meaning "hare", + pous (πούς poús), "foot", in reference to the bird's feathered legs....
and especially in the spring and summertime when animals like the snowshoehare get brown fur. Most mammals are dichromats and so do not easily distinguish...
The hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus), also called Assam rabbit and bristly rabbit, is a leporid native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along...
Cape hare (Lepus capensis), also called the brown hare and the desert hare, is a hare native to Africa and Arabia extending into India. The Cape hare was...
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