ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - Snowshoe Hare

 Snowshoe Hare

snowshoe hare

Rabbits and hares look very similar and are easy to confuse. In most cases, hares are larger than rabbits and have longer legs and ears. One easy way to tell the difference between the two is by comparing the young. Newborn hares are born with a full coat of fur and open eyes. They are able to hop around just a few hours after birth. Newborn rabbits are born blind, naked, and are helpless. Their eyes don’t open for a full week, and not until two weeks after they are born do they grow fur and hop around. The snowshoe hare is protected in the state of Ohio.

snowshoe hare tracks

Snowshoe Hare Tracks
(Click track to enlarge)
 

Snowshoe Hare
Lepus americanus

At-a-Glance

• Mating: Polygamous

• Peak Breeding Activity: mid-March through August

• Gestation: 35 days

• Young are born: precocial (fully furred with eyes open and can feed on its own)

• Litter Size: 2-4 offspring, but as many as eight

• Young Leave parents: about 4 weeks

• Number of litters per year: up to 4

• Adult weight: 2-3 pounds

• Adult length: 15-20 inches

• Life Expectancy: 1-1.5 years

• Migration pattern: Year-round resident

• Typical foods: Summer -- grasses, clover, and vegetable sprouts
Winter -- twigs, bark, buds, fruit, and berries




Description
During the winter, snowshoe hares have a thick white coat that helps them blend in with the snow. In the spring, they shed their winter coat and grow a thin brown summer coat. This acts as camouflage among the green and brown shadows on the forest floor. Even though the snowshoe hare has a snowy-white coat for part of the year, it actually gets its name from its feet. The hind feet on a snowshoe hair can be up to seven inches long and have webbing between the toes like snowshoes. This allows the hare to stay on top of the snow while running and jumping. This is very important when the snowshoe hare is trying to escape predators like foxes, lynx, and raptors. Snowshoe hares can reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

Habitat and Habits
Snowshoe hares are very common in the northern forests of North America. Although once native to the extreme northeast corner of Ohio, snowshoe hares were probably never abundant or widely distributed. It is believed that they were extirpated from the state in the early 1900s due to large-scale clearing of forest lands.

Snowshoe hares are typically solitary and are active at low light levels and so are most often seen out and about at dawn, dusk, and during the night.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
Males and females become mature within a year of their birth. Females may have up to four litters a year, depending on environmental conditions. The young hide in separate locations during the day -- they only come together for 5 to 10 minutes at a time to nurse. The female cares for the young until they are about four weeks old, when they are weaned and disperse.