Details
Lepus arcticus
Arctic hare is a large hare of Arctic tundra whose white winter coat blends into snow. It is important prey for Arctic foxes, wolves, and raptors.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits tundra, rocky slopes, and low grassland in northern Canada, Greenland, and Arctic islands. Main habitat types in this guide are polar, grassland.
Typical length 48-67 cm, weight 2.5 kg-7 kg. Short ears, powerful hind legs, and seasonally changing fur, often white in winter, are distinctive.
It is most active around dawn and dusk and often found in loose groups. It digs through snow for plants and may gather in large numbers at feeding sites.
It is herbivorous. Willow, grasses, mosses, lichens, and shrub buds are eaten.
Young are born in spring or summer with fur and become mobile relatively quickly.
Although still widespread in places, it remains sensitive to habitat change. It is important prey for Arctic foxes, wolves, and raptors.
