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What do snowshoe hares use for shelter?
Snowshoe hares like thick, brushy areas near openings with herbaceous plants and dense young conifers that offer shelter from winter’s cold and snow.
What is the habitat of a snowshoe hare?
Habitat and range The snowshoe hare is a northern species which thrives throughout much of Canada and even as far north as Alaska. In the upper half of Minnesota, it lives in dense woodlands and forest bogs. Hares spend their entire lives in an area of just a few acres.
How does a snowshoe rabbit protect itself?
Snowshoe hares have an interesting adaptation that helps protect them against predators. During the winter, snowshoe hares are white, which helps them blend in with the snow. When the seasons change to spring and summer, snowshoe hares turn a reddish-brown. This color helps them camouflage with dirt and rocks.
Where do snowshoe hares hide?
[Nowhere to Hide] Rather than burrowing underground or building nests like rabbits, snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) live out in the open, using hollow logs, depressions, and brush thickets for shelter. Larger and faster than rabbits, hares can be distinguished by longer hind legs, wider feet, and taller ears.
Do snowshoe rabbits hibernate?
The animal’s feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. This animal is mainly active at night and does not hibernate. The snowshoe hare may have up to four litters in a year, which average three to eight young. Males compete for females, and females may breed with several males.
What do snowshoe rabbits eat?
The diet of snowshoe hares is diverse. In summer they eat herbaceous plants and the new growth of woody vegetation. In winter, they eat twigs, buds, and bark. Snowshoe hares browse heavily on vegetation and often leave behind well-defined browse-lines (often referred to as “hare lines”).
Where do snowshoe rabbits live?
boreal forests
Snowshoe hares live in the boreal forests of North America and are active year-round. They gain their curious name from their very large hind feet that are lined with stiff hairs that form a snowshoe, supporting their weight on the surface of the snow.
How can you tell a snowshoe hare from a rabbit?
An important identification trick is to look at a snowshoe hare’s ears. The tips of the ears are always black no matter the season. The hind legs of a snowshoe hare are noticeably larger, and have more fur and larger toes than those of other rabbits or hares.
What is another name for a snowshoe rabbit?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), 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.
Snowshoe Hare. Snowshoe hares live throughout the boreal, or northern, forest. As an important prey species for a wide variety of predators, the population size and reproductive success of many predators cycles with the abundance of hare. Snowshoe hares turn white in winter and brown in summer.
Why does the snowshoe hare have big feet?
The Snowshoe Hare’s large feet help it to run over the snow. The Snowshoe Hare’s large, furry feet act like snowshoes, allowing the animal to move on the top of deep snow. This is how the hare got its name. (It is also sometimes known as a ‘Snowshoe Rabbit’.) The feet can be up to 18 cm (7 in) long.