Mammals · Lagomorpha · Leporidae

Mountain Hare

Lepus timidus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The mountain hare owes its Spanish name to the seasonal change in its coat: greyish brown in summer and white in winter, except for the tips of the ears, which stay black. It ranges from Scandinavia and Siberia to relict populations in the Alps, Scotland and Ireland. Its very broad, hairy hind feet work as snowshoes. Climate change threatens it in a peculiar way: in winters without snow its white coat leaves it completely exposed.

Weight

2 kg – 5.8 kg

Size

45 cm – 65 cm

Lifespan

9 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestMountainTundraPolarHerbivore Nocturnal Solitary Temperate forest Mountain Tundra Polar Mammal

17countries 4parks11same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt turns white in winter to blend into the snow.
It moults to white in response to day length, not to snow: in increasingly mild winters it turns completely white against brown ground, a mismatch that ecologists call camouflage mismatch and that sends its mortality soaring.
The Alpine and Scottish populations are glacial relicts: they were left isolated on the summits when the ice retreated, and now have nowhere higher to go as the climate warms.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Tundra, taiga, mountain heath and boreal forest of Eurasia; in the south, isolated summits
Sexual maturity: 8.7 months
Gestation / incubation: 50 days
Litter / clutch size: 2

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/