Arctic hare
| Arctic hare[1] | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Genus: | Lepus |
| Species: | L. arcticus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepus arcticus Ross, 1819 |
|
 |
|
| Arctic hare range | |
The arctic hare (Lepus arcticus), or polar rabbit, is a species of hare which is adapted largely to polar and mountainous habitats. The arctic hare survives with a thick coat of fur and usually digs holes under the ground or snow to keep warm and sleep. Arctic hares look like rabbits but have shorter ears and can stand up taller, and can live/maintain themselves in cold places unlike rabbits. They can travel together with many other hares, sometimes huddling with dozens or more, but are usually found alone, taking in some cases more than one partner. The arctic hare can run up to 40 miles (64 km) per hour.[3] Its predators include Arctic wolf, Arctic fox, and Ermine.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Range
The arctic hare is distributed over the tundra regions of Greenland and the northernmost parts of Canada. Towards the south of its range, the arctic hare changes its coat colour, moulting and growing new fur, from brown or grey in the summer to white in the winter, like some other arctic animals including ermine and ptarmigan, enabling it to remain camouflaged as the background changes.[5] However, the arctic hares in the far north of Canada, where summer is very short, remain white all year round.[5][6]
[edit] Size
On average arctic hares measure 55–70 cm (22–28 in) long, and weigh about 4–5.5 kg (9–12 lb).
[edit] Diet
The arctic hare eats mainly woody plants but also dine on buds, berries, leaves and grasses.[7] In the early summer they eat purple saxifrage. It has a keen sense of smell and may dig for willow twigs under the snow. When eating plants, the arctic hare likes to stand where there is less snow to easily locate twigs or plants that fall off or lie on the ground for it to chew on/feed on. This hare can eat meat.[8]
[edit] Breeding
Female hares can have up to eight baby hares called leverets. The leverets stay within the mother's home range until they are old enough to survive on their own.[9]
[edit] Subspecies
There are four subspecies of this hare:
- Lepus arcticus arcticus
- Lepus arcticus bangsii
- Lepus arcticus groenlandicus
- Lepus arcticus monstrabilis
[edit] References
- ^ Hoffman, Robert S.; Smith, Andrew T. (16 November 2005). "Order Lagomorpha (pp. 185-211". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). pp. 195–196. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ^ Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996). Lepus arcticus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 2006-05-06. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
- ^ "Arctic Hare". National Geographic. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/arctic-hare.html. Retrieved 9/4/09.
- ^ "Ukaliq: the Arctic Hare". About the Arctic Hare: Eat and Be Eaten. Canadian Museum of Nature. http://nature.ca/ukaliq/021des/050_fwb02_e.cfm. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
- ^ a b "Arctic Wildlife". Arctic Wildlife. Churchill Polar Bears. 2011. http://churchillpolarbears.org/churchill/arctic-wildlife. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ "A hare of a different color". How Arctic Hares have adapted to Gros Morne National Park of Canada. Parks Canada. January 29, 2007. http://www.pc.gc.ca/canada/pn-tfn/itm2-/2007/2007-01-29_e.asp. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ Best, Troy L.; Henry, Travis Hill (1994). "Lepus arcticus". Mammalian Species (American Society of Mammalogists) 457 (457): 1–9. doi:10.2307/3504088. JSTOR 3504088.
- ^ "thearctcichare". Ukaliq. http://nature.ca/ukaliq/021des/050_fwb01_e.cfm. Retrieved 09/04/09.
- ^ "The Arctic Hare". Canadian Museum of Nature. http://nature.ca/ukaliq/021des/090_lfc01_e.cfm. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
