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Animal profile

Snowshoe Hare

Lepus americanus

MammaliaBoreal forest, montane conifer stands and dense shrubby understoreyLeast Concern

Field profile

The snowshoe hare is a boreal hare named for its very large, densely furred hind feet, which spread its weight on snow. It moults between a brown summer coat and a white winter coat. Its population cycles with those of Canada lynx in one of the best-documented predator-prey oscillations in ecology.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-01-01

Snowshoe Hare

The snowshoe hare's coat is set by daylight

Its seasonal moult from brown to white is triggered by changing day length, not by snow. As snow arrives later and melts earlier, hares increasingly spend days conspicuously white on brown ground, a mismatch that raises their mortality.

Read with evidence →

Snowshoe Hare | Daily Animal Facts