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. Learn about the snowshoe hare, a common herbivore in the boreal forests of North America. Find out how its fur color changes with the seasons, what it eats, how it reproduces, and how it interacts with predators.
Reproduction Snowshoe hares mate from February to July, with birth coming 36 days later. One female can have three or four litters of up to four young each year. Hares nest in small depressions in the ground.
Hares are precocial -- they are born with eyes open and a furry hide and they can hop about soon after birth. Food In spring and summer, hares eat a variety of greens including grass. The summer diet of snowshoe hares consists largely of grasses, forbs, and other succulent plants.
In winter, when much of the ground is generally covered in snow, they primarily consume conifer needles and the leaves of evergreen shrubs. Adult snowshoe hares weigh about 2. About the snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare is a small mammal that lives in Minnesota's boreal forests.
A snowshoe hare's coat provides camouflage from predators. In summer, their coats are reddish-brown, allowing hares to blend in with the forest and soil. In winter, snowshoe hares are white, allowing them to blend in with snow and ice.
Snowshoe hare What does it look like? Snowshoe hares are named for their large hind feet, which, like snowshoes, allow them to stay on top of the snow during Canadian winters. The fur of snowshoe hares varies in colour depending on the season. In spring, summer and fall, they sport a coat of light to dark brown fur.
In winter, their coats turn white. These colour changes allow snowshoe hares. Description Snowshoe hares have an interesting adaptation that helps protect them against predators.
Depending on the season, their fur can be a different color. During the winter, snowshoe hares are white, which helps them blend in with the snow. When the seasons change to spring and summer, snowshoe hares turn a reddish.
The aptly named snowshoe hare has particularly large feet and a winter-white coat. In the summer though, their fur turns brown, taking up to ten weeks to change color completely. Young snowshoe hares are called leverets.
For 101 facts about jaguars,. Depending on the season, snowshoe hares fur can be a different color. In winter, snowshoe hares are white, which helps them blend in with the snow.
In spring and summer, snowshoe hares turn a reddish. Snowshoe hares are secretive animals that live in areas with plenty of brush to hide in. In Alaska, they are found throughout the boreal forest, which covers most of the state except for the western and arctic coasts.
Snowshoe hares are brown during summer, but as winter approaches, their fur changes to white, helping them to avoid predation.