| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Size: | Length 14 to 28 in. (0.35 to 0.7 m) |
| Weight: | 7 to 12 lbs. (3.2 to 5.4 kg) |
| Diet: | Moss, buds, berries, leaves, bark, flowers, willow twigs and roots. |
| Distribution: | Northern Canada and Greenland |
| Young: |
Two to eight per litter |
| Animal Predators: | Wolf, fox, golden eagle, polar bear, ermine, weasel |
| IUCN Status: | No special status |
| Terms: | Group of hares: Down Male: Jack Female: Doe Young: Levrets |
| Lifespan: |
· Arctic hares can reach speeds of more than 60 kph.
·
The Arctic
hare is featured on a 33-cent U.S. stamp.
· Arctic hares are the largest North American hare.
Arctic hares have shorter ears than hares living in warm climates. This is because the ears allow heat to escape, and Arctic hares need to be able to withstand very cold temperatures, so their ears are only a few inches long, to conserve heat. During the winter, the fur of Arctic hares turns all white, except for the tip of the ears, which remain black. The white fur helps the hares to blend in against the snowy background, to elude predators. In the summer, Arctic hares are a soft brown-gray, which also serves as camouflage when the snow disappears.
Arctic hares can be found throughout northern Canada, on Arctic islands and in Greenland. A similar species known as the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) can be found throughout northern Europe and Asia, while the tundra hare (Lepus othus) is found in Alaska. Although they have strong claws for digging, unlike rabbits, Arctic hares don’t live in burrows.
Arctic hares eat all kinds of vegetation, including moss, buds, berries, leaves, bark, flowers, willow twigs and roots.
Mating season takes place in mid-spring. Males may fight over females, but they do so by boxing with their front paws—they never bite each other. The young hares, known as leverets, are born anytime from late May to July. Females make a grass-lined nest on the ground, hidden within a bush or rocks. They may further line it with their fur before giving birth to the leverets, who are born fully furred with their eyes open. Mothers do not leave them at all for the first few days after they are born. After that, when the mothers do leave to feed, the levrets lie motionless in the nest to avoid detection by predators. Because the young hares have dark gray fur, they resemble rocks when not moving. By the time they are two to three weeks old, they begin to explore outside of the nest, and they are weaned at eight or nine weeks. The youngsters reach adult size by fall, and are ready to begin breeding when they are a year old. Although it is commonly believed that male hares do not play a role in bringing up the leverets, in one case, eyewitnesses tell of a male helping a female defend the young from attack by a fox.
Arctic hares can be found either alone or in groups of 10 to 300 hares, especially while feeding, so that some of the hares act as lookouts, while the others devote their attention to eating. They also huddle together during the coldest times of the year, in a sheltered area, under a bush or within a pile of rocks. They can run both by hopping on their hind legs or by using both their front and hind legs. Arctic hares can also swim short distances if necessary.
Arctic hares are not of conservation concern.