Snowshoe Hare

Snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus

The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) is best known for its seasonally-varying fur color, which changes from reddish brown in summer to white in winter. Today, this hare is found across much of Canada, as well as in the higher elevations of the U.S., including the Sierra Nevadas, Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains. However, they had a much more southerly distribution during the late Pleistocene, including across much of the midwestern U.S. Their presence in these areas during the last glaciation provides evidence that the climate was cooler at that time, and, in particular, that the summers were significantly cooler than these areas experience today.

Snowshoe hare with summer coloration

Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) in summer coloration. By Dave Bezaire & Susi Havens-Bezaire (Flickr: Don't Bug Me-I'm Eating the Rocks!) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Order: 
Lagomorpha (Rabbits, Hares and Pika)
Family: 
Leporidae (Rabbits and Hares)
Statistics: 

Length: 36-52 cm (14.2-20.5 in)

Weight: 0.9-2.3 kg (2-5 lb)

Source: Murray 2003

Status: 
Migrated
Physical Description: 

The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) is a medium-sized hare with elongated ears and hind feet. Its name comes from the fact that the animal's hind feet are very long and the toes can be spread out to act like snowshoes. These large feet also have fur on the soles which protects them from the cold and increases traction. Over most of this rabbit's range, the color of its coat varies seasonally. Its summer pelage (fur) is rusty, grayish brown. During the winter its coat is white, except for grayish feet and black-tipped ears. The snowshoe hare's other common name, varying hare, derives from this changing coat color.

Habitat: 

Snowshoe hares occupy a variety of habitats, including boreal forests, aspen parkland, and mixed deciduous or coniferous forests. They prefer habitats with plenty of understory vegetation, which provides cover from predators as well as relatively warm, protected places to shelter. 

Diet: 

Snowshoe hares are herbivorous, and they feed primarily on leafy vegetation in summer and woody browse in winter (Murray 2003). They are selective generalists in that they will eat a variety of available plants, while showing a distinct preference for those with higher nutritional value. In cooler environments (e.g., Alaska), their summer diet consists primarily of sedges and herbaceous plants, as well as willow or birch leaves, while their winter diet consists of twigs and needles from locally available trees, such as spruce, fir, birch, willow and alder. 

Behavior: 

Snowshoe hares are solitary animals, although several individuals will have overlapping home ranges. These animals are most active during low-light periods, such as dawn, dusk and nighttime, and travel is generally restricted to well-known pathways. Daylight hours are typically spent grooming, napping, and hiding from predators.

North American Ice Age Distribution: 

Snowshoe hares were widely distributed across the northern half of the U.S. during the late Wisconsinan, inhabiting the coniferous and mixed coniferous/deciduous forests south of the ice sheets. Their distribution reached much further south than their current range, extending into the central Plains and southern Midwest.

Status at the end of the Pleistocene: 

As the continental ice sheets retreated northward at the end of the Pleistocene, snowshoe hares similarly migrated north, following the geographic shift of their preferred habitat. 

Midwestern Paleontological Finds: 

Snowshoe hares have been recovered from several Wisconsinan paleontological sites in the Midwest. These include Bat Cave and Jacobs Cave in central Missouri, Crankshaft Cave and Herculaneum Fissure near St. Louis, Missouri and Welsh Cave in northern Kentucky. 

Fun Facts: 
  • The snowshoe hare gets its name from the shape of its large back feet, which help the animal travel over the top of the snow. 
  • Although hares and rabbits are similar in appearance, there are a few key differences: hares tend to be larger than rabbits, and they have longer legs and bigger ears; at the first sign of danger, rabbits typically freeze, while hares use their long fee to flee; rabbits are born blind and helpless, while hares are born fully furred and ready to run.
Web Resources: 

https://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Lepus_americanus/
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/snowshoehare.html
https://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/snowshoehare/tabid/6760/Default.aspx

References: 

Murray, D. 2003. Snowshoe Hare and Other Hares (Lepus americanus and Allies). In Wild Mammals of North America, 2nd edition, edited by G. A. Feldhamer, B. C. Thompson, and J. A. Chapman, pp. 147-178. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.