Snowshoe Hare

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. Learn about the snowshoe hare, a common herbivore in the boreal forests of North America.

Find out how its population cycles, diet, reproduction, and survival are influenced by predators and vegetation. Learn facts about the snowshoe hare's habitat, diet, life history, and more. The Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) is a secretive forest-dwelling mammal found only 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.

Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus Snowshoe hares are residents of middle and higher elevation habitats within the Klamath range, southern Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada south to Mariposa, Mono, and Madera counties. Snowshoes have been reported also from the Warner Mountains in northeastern California. snowshoe hare, (Lepus americanus), northern North American species of hare that undergoes an annual colour change from brownish or grayish in summer to pure white in winter.

The hind feet are heavily furred, and all four feet are large in proportion to body size, a snowshoe. Snowshoe hare populations fluctuate cyclically about once a decade. The snowshoe hare-small, swift, and superbly camouflaged-is more than just another creature in the food chain.

It is a keystone species, a survivor of extremes, and a silent indicator of the health of Alaska's boreal wilderness. The snowshoe, or varying hare (Lepus americanus), is the most common and widespread of the two species of hares in Alaska. It is distributed over the state except for the lower Kuskokwim Delta, the Alaska Peninsula, and the area north of the Brooks Range.

Snowshoe hares, also called varying hare in the text books, love a cedar swamp. An easy food source, lots of hidey-holes, and thick branches for protection from attacks from a great horned owl or coyote, all add up to hare utopia.