The arctic hare (Lepus arcticus), or polar rabbit, is a species of hare which is adapted largely to polar and mountainous habitats. The arctic hare survives with a thick coat of fur and usually digs holes under the ground or snow to keep warm and sleep. Arctic hares look like rabbits but have shorter ears and can stand up taller, and can live/maintain themselves in cold places unlike rabbits. They can travel together with many other hares, sometimes huddling with dozens or more, but are usually found alone, taking in some cases more than one partner. The arctic hare can run up to per hour.^[1] Its predators include Arctic wolf, Arctic fox, and Ermine.^[2]

Range

The arctic hare is distributed over the tundra regions of Greenland and the northernmost parts of Canada. Towards the south of its range, the arctic hare changes its coat colour, moulting and growing new fur, from brown or grey in the summer to white in the winter, like some other arctic animals including ermine and ptarmigan, enabling it to remain camouflaged as the background changes.^[3] However, the arctic hares in the far north of Canada, where summer is very short, remain white all year round.^[3][4]

Size

On average arctic hares measure long, and weigh about .

Diet

The arctic hare eats mainly woody plants but also dine on buds, berries, leaves and grasses.^[5] In the early summer they eat purple saxifrage. It has a keen sense of smell and may dig for willow twigs under the snow. When eating plants, the arctic hare likes to stand where there is less snow to easily locate twigs or plants that fall off or lie on the ground for it to chew on/feed on. This hare can eat meat.

Breeding

Female hares can have up to eight baby hares called leverets. The leverets stay within the mother's home range until they are old enough to survive on their own.^[6]

Subspecies

There are four subspecies of this hare:

• Lepus arcticus arcticus
• Lepus arcticus bangsii
• Lepus arcticus groenlandicus
• Lepus arcticus monstrabilis

References

br:Gad Arktika ca:Llebre polar cs:Zaj c pol rn de:Polarhase nv:Hak az gah el: es:Lepus arcticus eo:Arkta leporo eu:Erbi artiko fo:P lhara fr:Li vre arctique ga:Giorria an Artaigh iu: is:P lh ri it:Lepus arcticus mrj: la:Lepus arcticus hu:Sarki ny l ml: mt:Liebru tal-Artiku ms:Lepus arcticus mn: nl:Poolhaas mhr: pl:Zaj c polarny pt:Lebre- rtica ru: simple:Arctic Hare sk:Zajac pol rny fi:Napaj nis sv:Polarhare ta: th: zh: