Snowshoe hare
Snowshoe hare ( Lepus americanus)
The snowshoe hare ( Lepus americanus) belongs to the genus of the Real bunnies from the family of hares ( Leporidae ). It received its name due to the very large feet, which are intended to prevent sinking into the snow. It can be distinguished up to fifteen subspecies.
Features
With a length of 41-52 centimeters and a weight of around 1.5 kilograms, the way one of the smallest of its genus. Its tail length is 3 to 5 cm.
As the mountain hare (Lepus timidus ) also changes the snowshoe hare in winter its fur color from brown to white and disguises itself in this way in the snow from predators. An important feature is the black lace with an ear length of 6-7 centimeters. However, this color change does not occur in all regions of its range. His soles are densely hairy, especially at the hind feet, which leads to the snowshoe -like appearance.
Dissemination
Snowshoe hares live in North America, they come in almost throughout Alaska and Canada ( with the exception of the far north ) and in parts of the U.S. (in the north and northeast as well as in the Rocky Mountain area ) before.
Way of life
Snowshoe hares inhabit a range of habitats, including boreal forests, tundra, open grassland, but also swamps. They live solitary, but will often occur in high densities, so that overlap their territories. They are mostly active during dusk or night, but can also be seen on cloudy days. Snowshoe hares, like all genuine rabbit fast runner, but can also swim well and use this opportunity often on the run from predators.
Their diet depends on the habitat and season, these include grasses, flowers, buds, twigs and bark. In winter, they even sometimes eat the flesh of dead conspecifics. The population figures for the snowshoe hare is subject to a cyclical development that is synchronized over wide areas of its range. The cycle is about ten years. The population density initially increases sharply and then breaks down again. The causes of this cycle is known only superficially like many other small mammals.
Reproduction
The mating season of these animals is from March to August. During this time, can accommodate up to four times for the junior world the female. The gestation period is around 36 days and the litter size from two to four, in exceptional cases up to eight. Newborn animals are precocial and are weaned after just one month.
Threat
Snowshoe hares have a variety of natural enemies, including gray and red fox, coyote, Canadian lynx, bobcat and wolf. Well known are the enormous cyclical increases and decreases in population densities that depend on the existence of predators and the food supply. Due to the high fertility but count the animals among the common and not endangered species.