The snowshoe hare is found in alpine regions of North America, Alaska and Canada. The population of the snowshoe hare fluctuates tremendously on a roughly 10 year cycle, due to the availability of food and predator interactions.
The snowshoe hare has a body length of 36 — 52 centimetres and a tail length of 2. It is larger than other hares and weighs around 3 to 4 pounds as an adult. The snowshoe hare is appropriately named because it has very large back feet. It looks as if it is wearing large shoes made for walking in the snow. These large feet prevent the hare from sinking into the deep snow as it hops and walks, as the toes can spread out to act like snowshoes. During the daylight hours, hares spend a great deal of time grooming, and they take occasional naps.
They are most active along pathways, trampled down "roads" in the vegetation that the hares know very thoroughly. Hares like to take dust baths. These help to remove parasites, such as fleas and lice , from the hares' fur. Snowshoe hares are also good swimmers. They occasionally swim across small lakes and rivers, and they have been seen entering the water in order to avoid predators.
During its active period, a hare may cover up to 0. Snowshoe hares have excellent hearing, which helps them to identify approaching predators. They are not particularly vocal animals, but may make loud squealing sounds when captured.
When fighting with each other, these animals may hiss and snort. Most communication between hares involves thumping the hind feet against the ground. The diet of snowshoe hares is variable. They eat many different kinds of grasses, small leafy plants, and flowers. The new growth of trembling aspen, birches and willows is also eaten. During the winter, snowshoe hares forage on buds, twigs, bark, and evergreens. They have been known to scavenge the remains of their own kind in the winter months.
At all times, it is important for hares to eat a certain type of feces that they produce. Because much of the digestion of food occurs in the last portion of their gut, in order to get all of the available nutrients from their food, they must cycle it through their digestive system a second time.
Snowshoe hares are experts at escaping predators. Young hares often "freeze" in their tracks when they sense a predator nearby. They are trying to escape notice by blending in with their background. Given the hare's background-matching coloration, this strategy is quite effective.
Older hares are more likely to escape predators by fleeing. At top speed, a snowshoe hare can travel up to 27 mile per hour. An adult hare can cover up to 10 feet in a single bound. In addition to high speeds, hares use skillful changes in direction and vertical leaps, which may cause a predator to misjudge the exact position of the animal from one moment to the next.
Important predators of snowshoe hares include gray foxes , red foxes , coyotes , wolves , lynx , bobcats and mink. Snowshoe hares are important prey animals in their ecosystem. NCC is helping to protect more than 67, square kilometres of boreal forest across Canada, providing habitat for many species of plants and animals, including snowshoe hare. Donor inquiries donors natureconservancy. Visit our FAQ page. Supporter Spotlight. In response to various provincial emergency orders, our offices and facilities will be closed until further notice.
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