Snowshoe Hare

Name

• Common name: Snowshoe Hare
• Scientific name: Lepus americanus
• Order: Lagomorpha
• Family: Leporidae
• Indigenous names for this species may be available through the Yukon Native Language Centre. 

Also known as

Rabbit, Bunny

Viewing opportunities

• Forest edges are good places to look for hares, especially in spring and autumn when their colouration may not match snow conditions.
• Look for them under a deadfall or at the base of a tree.
• Hares often feed in roadside ditches at dusk in the summer.
• Hare tracks are highly visible in winter and the density of these can help you find good places to look for them, particularly along their pathways.

Description

• Very broad hind feet and large ears.
• Winter: white fur with black-tipped ears.
• Summer: Rusty or dark brown fur with white underparts.
• Rear limbs much longer than front ones.

Fast facts

• Length: 0.5 m
• Weight: 1 to 2 kg
• Lifespan: 1 year
• Predators: All carnivorous mammals and raptors.
• Habitat: Boreal Forest

Conservation status

What is conservation status?

• Yukon: S5 (Secure)
• Global: G5 (Secure)

Yukon population estimate

Not determined.

Behaviour

Snowshoe Hares are active primarily at dawn, dusk and during the night. They rest in shallow depressions called forms, which may be tucked beneath a snow-laden branch or deadfall. They are casual parents. The male does not care for the young at all and the female visits her young as little as once a day to feed them. In the Yukon, Snowshoe Hares have up to 4 litters between May and September, twice as many as in some southern regions.

Diet

Grasses, buds, bark

Distribution

Sights and sounds

Hares and people

• Snowshoe Hares have always been an important food source for Yukoners in remote areas and are still our most popular small game species.