Arctic Hares



	Arctic hares (Lepus arcticus) ARCTIC HARE GUIDE
	Introduction Who are the arctic hares?	Arctic hares are some of the most amazing animals living on our planet. Arctic hares as well as all other hares are related to rabbits. The arctic hares are very similar to mountain hares and snow shoe hares. Arctic hare's endangered level is: Least concern according to wikipedia.
	Habitat Where do arctic hares live?	The Arctic hare lives in northern regions of Canada (all the way from Newfoundland through North West), some Arctic islands, and Greenland. Arctic hares inhabit both mountainous and lowland areas. They require broken country with sheltered areas that allow vegetation to grow in the short summer and that keep some areas free of deep snow in the winter. Arctic hares dig for vegetation in these spots. Ukaliq [2] states that typical "home range" (an area an arctic hare travels in search of food) of an arctic hare is about 1 sq. mile. Its white fur helps camouflage it from predators in the winter.
	Classification Are arctic hares related to mountain hares?	Arctic hares are a species of genus Lepus (common hares and jackrabbits). The Latin name for arctic hare species is Lepus arcticus. Ukaliq mentions two subspecies, high-arctic Lepus arcticus monstrabilis named so for its great size and western Lepus arcticus andersoni named after a prominent Arctic biologist R. M. Anderson. Arctic hares are very closely related were considered a subspecies of the a mountain hare (Lepus timidus arcti to mountain hares (Lepus timidus), and evencus). Another close relative is Alaskan hare (Lepus othus)[9]. Genus Lepus (common hares and jackrabbits) belongs to the Leprodae family (rabbits and hares), which in its turn belongs to the Lagomorpha order (which also includes pikas).
	Color What is the color of arctic hares? Do arctic hares change color in summer?	Arctic hares are white with black ear tips during winter. Summer colors vary depending on the place the arctic hare lives in: from blue and brownish (southern) to almost white (northern). Only its tail remains white all year round.
	Features How does an arctic hare look like?	Arctic hares weight about 9-11 lb (much heavier than your everyday neighborhood rabbit). Arctic hares are longer than 70 cm (23'') from tail to head. Arctic hares have strong and long claws on their feet - it uses it to dig the snow. Arctic hare fur protects them during the coldest winter weather (they do not hibernate). The fur comes in two separate layers: a short, thick under-fur; and silky, longer top fur. In winter, Arctic hares are white with black ear-tips. The coloration of the summer pelage varies geographically: Tundra animals are blue-gray, whereas those on Ellesmere Island and Greenland are almost white. A variety of intermediate forms are found between these localities. The under fur is dense and gray. Guard hares are longer and black-tipped. Northern forms tend to be larger. The claws of the arctic hare, especially those of the forefeet, are elongate and curved. The hares use these powerful tools for digging in hard-packed snow. Arctic hares, lucky, because of their features are not on the endangered list.
	Nonchalance Why are arctic hares not afraid of people?	Arctic explorers noted unusual nonchalance of arctic hares towards people during winter season. It is attributed to the fact that their white fur makes them unnoticeable during winter season with the icy background.
	Communication How do arctic hares communicate with each other?	Communication is essential for arctic hares who live in the large groups (see Social Life). One of the communication mechanisms is their body language, most important being positioning of their ears. Ukaliq [2] offers an interesting exercise to guess what each ear position means. The main type of arctic hares communication is olfactory, that is related to a sense of smell. Arctic hares are able to leave distinctive smell to "mark" objects.
	Social Life Do arctic hares live in herds?	Arctic hares live in groups of 20 to 300 animals. They protect each other and collectively search for food. There are stories and photos of groups of 1,000+ animals moving together (aerial photos show arctic hares as multitude of snowballs on the snowy surface). That's a lot of points in Z-game (20,000)!
	Locomotion How fast can arctic hare move? Do arctic hares swim?	Arctic hares stay on their hind legs when looking around. In any danger, they start hopping off on their hind legs just like kangaroos. When alarmed, they rise up on their hind legs to look for danger and then bound off very quickly. Arctic hares can reach a speed of over 40 mph. They use this speed to get away from predators. These hares can also swim across small streams. During Arctic winters hares dig dens and resting by sitting on their furred hind feet curling into a ball of fur. Arctic hares are nocturnal animals.
	Food What do arctic hares eat? Are arctic hares vegetarians? What and how do arctic hares eat in the winter?	Arctic hares eat woody plants, such as willow twigs, also can eat roots, mosses, etc. While being vegetarians, according to Ukaliq [2] these hares are known to occasionally eat meat. Arctic hares can smell willows under the snow and the the arctic hare start to dig. If the snow is to deep the arctic hares first thump on it with their powerful feet. Arctic hares gnaw ( chew ) at the icy crust with their sharp teeth. Arctic hares are also reported to eat mosses, lichens, buds, berries, blooms, leaves, saxifrages, cinquefoils, campoins, sedges, seaweed, bark, willow twigs and roots, crowberry, and the meat from the traps of hunters. Arctic hares in the winter usually feed in areas where snow is shallow or plants are exposed by wind. When their food is buried under snow, Arctic hares rely on their sense of smell to locate it. They dig through snow with a rapid beating movement of their forefeet. In order to break a tough icy crust on top of the snow, they stamp sharply with their forefeet or chew at the crust with their teeth.
	Migration Do arctic hares migrate seasonally?	Arctic hares typically do not migrate seasonally according to Ukaliq [2]. However seasonal migration takes place in some localities. Regular movement of arctic hares is usual. Arctic hares can move alone on in herds. Same source tells us about arctic hares who during several feeding hours cover several kilometers, or move up to 5 kilometers in couple of hours during mating season.
	Predators What are some of arctic hare enemies?	Arctic hares are food for snowy owls, other birds of prey, wolves, foxes, weasels, and polar bears. So it must always be alert and ready to hop away if it senses an enemy. People are also hunting arctic hares for food and other reasons.
	Babies When are arctic hares born? What happens after they are born?	The babies of common arctic hares are born from late May to July. They are usually grey-brown The farther north they are, the later the babies are born. Litter size is from four to eight babies. Female arctic hares may produce a second litter in one season. The mother doesn't leave her babies for the first few days. By the third day the babies learn to stay still, so they look like the rocks and grass around them. The young arctic hares gain 45 to 50 grams (0.1 - 0.11 lb) per day in their first month and no longer need mother's milk by the time they are 1 month old. By around September they reach the size of their parents. The young arctic hares are weaned abruptly in late August, but they continue to feed and rest together at least into September. In areas with large populations, the young from different litters sometimes gather into larger groups. They grow rapidly and by late autumn are almost indistinguishable from the adults. We do not know if the young arctic hares take part in the spring breeding in their first year, or if they are ready to mate only in time for their second spring. Arctic hares live for about 4-6 years.
	Interesting Facts What are some facts about arctic hares?	According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History site [11] about arctic hares, arctic hares always face upwards when are standing on a slope, unless they are running downhill. Sometimes Arctic hares can swim through narrow streams.
	Other names What other names of arctic hares?	Arctic hares can also be referred to by the names Arctic rabbit, artic hare (misspelled), polar hares, mountain hares, Lepus arcticus, Alaskan hares. or white hares. Local Northern names for arctic hares: ukaliq or ukqaliaejuk.
	Arctic Hares- Resources 1. Arctic Hares - Best arctic hare site ever (except for the one bellow)! Please support our site by linking it to your Web Pages. 2. Ukaliq - A Web Site of the Canadian Museum of Nature dedicated to arctic hares. A lot of information, games, videos, etc on arctic hares. The best arctic hare site around! We got a lot of arctic hare information from there. Contains an extensive reference list. Several pictures from Ukaliq appear on our site. We recommend this arctic hare site. 3.Canadian animals - brief description of the Canadian animals including Arctic animals. 4. Nature Works - a Web Site of the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. Information about 208 different animals. 5. Arctic animals - A Web Site by students, made for the Think Quest project. This site has some info on arctic hares. 6.Answers.com - facts about Mountain Hares which are related to arctic hares. 7. Animal Diversity Web - basic features of artic hares. A lot of information about any animals including hares. 8. Nature Photograph by Greg Lasley - beautiful high-resolution photos of arctic hares and other animals. 9. Lepus Othus (Alaskan Hare) from the University of Alaska Museum Mammal Collection. This site compares Arctic Hare and Alaskan Hare and contains discussion and extensive references on the taxonomy of both (along with Mountain Hare). 10. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) report - "official" classification of lepus arcticus (arctic hare) with names of leading experts in the field. 11. Arctic Hare page of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History North American Mammal collection. 12. Arctic Hares Page from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Environment and Conservation Web Site. 13. E. Waltari, J. Cook "Hares on Ice..." - the article compares three arctic species of hares, Lepus arcticus. Lepus timidus, and Lepus othus. 14. Hare today feature from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) includes very cool images. 15.America Zoo - Arctic hares -general info about arctic hares. 16.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_hare 18 http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/noframe/s041.htm Send us feedback at email@alexandgregory.com. Rabbits and Hares Another great alexandgregory.com production ABOUT THIS SITE: This site is a compilation of various hare-related articles from the Web and our own knowledge. The material is re-organized and might be changed from the original source. If you think your article or information is being used in any improper way or you would like to enforce your copy rights please let us know, so we can update this site. Please note we don't make money off this site! Last updated-8/3/07