The snowshoe hare, also called the varying hare, or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet and the marks its tail leaves. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Its feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from freezing temperatures.
Similar species: Hares, Rabbits And Pikas
By Greg Shchepanek
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Uploaded Jan 6, 2020. Captured Jan 5, 2020 16:18 in 2 Riverdown Dr, Nepean, ON K2K 2Z2, Canada.
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The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) definitely seems to have conquered the trials of winter. Found in the forests of Canada and the northernmost United States, snowshoe hairs don’t hibernate. Instead, they adapt. During winter, snowshoe hares turn from brown to white, which camouflages them in the snow.
They appear to have two completely different sets of hair follicles that give rise to the brown and white hairs. Pretty neat! Plus, as their common name implies, they have large hind feet. These feet act like snowshoes to prevent the hare from sinking into the snow—a very beneficial adaptation when fleeing from predators. Traveling on top of the snow also allows them to forage increasingly
higher layers of twigs with each successive snowfall. To stay warm, the bottoms of their hind feet have an approximately 2 cm (3/4 in) thick layer of dense hair! Adding to these fantastic features, snowshoe hares are agile, fast, and incidentally are fantastic swimmers!
Snowshoe hares may be well-adapted to the snow and skilled at evading predators, but unfortunately, they cannot escape the influence of climate change. The duration and amount of snow on the ground has decreased due to climate change. This means that there are an increasing number of days when there will be a mismatch between the color of a hare’s fur and its environment thus removing the benefit of camouflage. A white hare really sticks out against brown surroundings. As a result, hares may become less effective at evading predation in the future. {Spotted in Ontario, Canada by JungleDragon user, Greg Shchepanek} #JungleDragon #hare #snowshoehare #Lepusamericanus Posted 5 years ago