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Class
Mammals
Order
Lagomorpha
Family
Leporidae
Zoo section
Mixed forest
Diet
Herbivorous
Range
North America
IUCN Status
Least concern
Diet
Primarily herbivorous, eats mainly grass and green plants as well as stems of fruit shrubs and certain fungi. In winter, its diet consists of buds, the twigs and bark of several species of trees and shrubs.
Lifespan
In nature, rarely more than 5 years.
Reproduction
From the age of 4 months, mating takes place between late March and late June. After a gestation of 36 or 37 days, females give birth between May and September, 3 or 4 litters of an average of 2 to 4 leverets (1 to 9) to be weaned at the age of 1 month.
Predators
The Canada lynx, red foxes, coyotes, the great-horned owl, the rough-legged hawk, bobcats and the snowy owl.
FAQ : What’s the difference between the rabbit and the Snowshoe hare ?
Both species are lagomorphs of the Leporidae family. Hence, the rabbit and the hare are cousins. They are often confused with rodents who have a pair of large incisor teeth on the upper jaw. However, lagomorphs have two pairs, one behind the other. In general, hares are larger than rabbits and run more quickly. The hare has large hind legs, longer than the rabbit’s and contrary to its cousin, its fur turns white in the winter. Another difference between these species is that young hares are precocial. Born with long hair and eyes open, they are rapidly mobile while young rabbits are born in a burrow, less developed, hairless, with eyes closed.