What is special about the snowshoe hare?

What is special about the snowshoe hare?

Hares are a bit larger than rabbits, and they typically have taller hind legs and longer ears. Snowshoe hares have especially large, furry feet that help them to move atop snow in the winter. They also have a snow-white winter coat that turns brown when the snow melts each spring.

Where do snowshoe hares live?

boreal forests
Snowshoe hares live in the boreal forests of North America and are active year-round. They gain their curious name from their very large hind feet that are lined with stiff hairs that form a snowshoe, supporting their weight on the surface of the snow.

What does snowshoe hare eat?

Food. In spring and summer, hares eat a variety of greens including grass, clover, ferns and garden plants. In fall and winter, they eat bark and the twigs of birch, aspen and conifers.

Is the snowshoe hare endangered?

Least Concern (Population stable)Snowshoe hare / Conservation status

Is a snowshoe hare a jack rabbit?

Description. Jackrabbits are, properly speaking, not rabbits but hares, like the snowshoe hare. Hares have longer feet than rabbits and usually have longer ears.

Can snowshoe hare swim?

Snowshoe hares are quick and agile, able to move as fast as 43 kph (27 mph). They can leap 3 m (10 ft) in one jump and change direction quickly to escape predators. They are also good swimmers.

How do rabbits turn white in the winter?

In the winter, as the days grow shorter, less melanin is produced. This, in turn, means that a rabbit’s new coat will lack pigmentation. In snowy climes, it’s quite common for a rabbit’s fur to turn completely white.

Is snowshoe hare good to eat?

Snowshoe hares are safe to eat as long as they’re cooked, but rabbits can carry tularemia, bacteria passed on through internal organs, that can be contracted through open cuts and contact with infected tissues.

Do red foxes eat snowshoe hares?

Important predators of snowshoe hares include gray foxes, red foxes, coyotes, wolves, lynx, bobcats and mink.

Why do rabbits turn white in the winter?

Is a jackrabbit a rabbit or hare?

hares
Jackrabbits are actually hares, not rabbits. Hares are larger than rabbits, and they typically have taller hind legs and longer ears.

Do cottontails turn white?

Eastern cottontails are fairly well adapted to surviving the cold as long as they have adequate food. Perhaps the biggest problem they face in this season is their vulnerability to predators. Unlike snowshoe hares, they do not turn white, and are therefore very visible against the snow.

How much does a snowshoe hare eat in one day?

Snowshoe Hare Ecology Diet. The diet of snowshoe hares is diverse. In summer they eat herbaceous plants and the new growth of woody vegetation. In winter, they eat twigs, buds, and bark. Snowshoe hares browse heavily on vegetation and often leave behind well-defined browse-lines (often referred to as “hare lines”).

What is the enemy of a snowshoe hare?

Biology. Although closely related to the more abundant cottontail,the snowshoe is not a true rabbit.

  • Population. As with many Pennsylvania small-game species,habitat change has caused varying hare populations to decline in recent years.
  • Habitat.
  • Special Concerns.
  • What are the behaviors of a snowshoe hare?

    Snowshoe hares can be seen foraging among the brush. They eat mostly plants, enjoying grasses, flowers, and new growth from trees. Behavior. Snowshoe hares are nocturnal, so they’re more likely to be seen at dawn and dusk. These animals have acute hearing and are able to detect predators. Life History.

    What does a snowshoe hare do in the winter?

    The diet of snowshoe hares varies depending on the season. In the summer they forage on vegetation that includes grasses, fireweed, vetch, lupine, clover, dandelion and strawberry. In winter, they turn their attention to twigs, bark and buds from both coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs.