snowshoe hare
| Dictionary: snowshoe hare |
n.
A medium-sized hare (Lepus americanus) of northern North America, having large, heavily furred feet and fur that is white in winter and brown in summer. Also called snowshoe rabbit, varying hare.
| 5min Related Video: snowshoe hare |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: snowshoe hare |
For more information on snowshoe hare, visit Britannica.com.
| Animal Encyclopedia: Snowshoe hare |
Lepus americanus
TAXONOMY
Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777, Fort Severn, Ontario, Canada. Fifteen subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Lièvre d'Amérique; German: Schneeschuhhase; Spanish: Liebre nival.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The smallest of the hares with large hind feet that turn white during the winter.
DISTRIBUTION
From Alaska to Newfoundland and south through the coastal range; the Rockies and the Appalachians to northern California, northern New Mexico, and Tennessee.
HABITAT
From conifer forests to mixed forests, with a preference for transition zones.
BEHAVIOR
Populations show large synchronized fluctuations with a peak every eight to 11 years (10-year cycles). They use forms for cover during the day and make regular trails to feeding areas.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Summer diet is grasses, sedges, and various herbs, but changes to birch, aspen, willow, spruce, and pine during the winter.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Promiscuous. Most reproductive characters are related to the 10-year population cycle. Normally gives birth to two litters per year, but this can increase to four, dependent on geography and population phase. Litter sizes vary from one to 10.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Common; not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Important game species; may damage tree plantations.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: varying hare |
varying hare, any of several medium-sized hares, sometimes known as snowshoe rabbits, having white fur in winter and turning brownish in summer. They are 18 to 19 in. (45-48 cm) long and have very large back feet and relatively small ears for hares. Varying hares range over the northern half of North America. Most species feed on foliage, twigs, and other succulent vegetation in summer and on bark in winter. The varying hare is classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Lagomorpha, family Leporidae.
| Wikipedia: Snowshoe Hare |
| Snowshoe Hare[1] | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Summer morph | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Genus: | Lepus |
| Species: | L. americanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777 |
|
 |
|
| Snowshoe Hare map | |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lepus americanus |
The Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus), also called the Varying Hare, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet and the marks its tail leaves. 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 buds from flowers and plants and, along with the Arctic Hare, has been known to steal meat from baited traps.[3] Hares are cannibalistic under availability of dead conspecifics, and have been known to eat dead rodents such as mice due to low availability of protein in an herbiferous diet. It is sometimes 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 3 to 8 young. Males compete for females and females may breed with several males.
There are six subspecies of this hare:
- Lepus americanus americanus
- Lepus americanus bairdii
- Lepus americanus cascadensis
- Lepus americanus dalli
- Lepus americanus struthopus
- Lepus americanus virginianus
References
- ^ Hoffmann, Robert S.; Andrew T. Smith (2005-11-16). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 195. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ^ Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996). Lepus americanus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 2006-05-06. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
- ^ "Snowshoe Hare" (HTML). eNature: FieldGuides. eNature.com. 2007. http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?curFamilyID=556&curGroupID=5&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=2. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
External links
- Hinterland Who's Who
- Environmental Education for Kids!: Critter Corner
- National Park Service
- Snowshoe hare at Animal Diversity Web
|
|||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Learn More
 | snowshoe hare virus |
| California encephalomyelitis virus group |
| Errington's disease |
 | Are snowshoe hares endangered? Read answer... |
| Is a snowshoe hare a herbivor? Read answer... |
| How many babies does a snowshoe hare have? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | Where do snowshoe hare sleep in the winter? |
| The life cycle of the snowshoe hare? |
| How many are there left of snowshoe hares? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Animal Encyclopedia. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2005 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Snowshoe Hare". Read more |
Related answers
- How long does the snowshoe hare live?
- What does a snowshoe hare eat?
- How does geography affect the snowshoe hare?
- What eats a snowshoe hare?
ADVERTISEMENT
Answer these
- Does a bobcat eat a snowshoe hare?
- How big is a snowshoe hare's feet?
- What animals eat snowshoe hare?
- Do snowshoe hares use mimicry?
Mentioned in
- time series
- Canada lynx
- Photoperiodism (plant physiology)
- hare (mammal)
- Hares and Rabbits (Leporidae) (zoology)
- rabbit (mammal)
- Snowshoe (disambiguation)
- Encephalitis and meningitis
- Lagomorpha (Pikas, rabbits, and hares) (zoology)
- Nancy White Carlstrom (children's author/illustrator)
