What Does The Arctic Hare Feed On?
The Arctic hare belongs to the Lagomorpha order and the Leporidae family . It is considered one of the largest hares in the world and is characterized by the fact that it lives in cold lands, especially in the snow. Read on if you want to know what the arctic hare feeds on.
Characteristics and habitat
The most characteristic feature of this hare is the pure white color of its fur, with small black spots on the tips of the ears. This fur helps it blend perfectly in the presence of predators. In addition, it is very dense, which allows it to withstand the low temperatures of its habitat.
Arctic hare usually weighs between 2.5 and 5.5 pounds and measures 43 to 70 centimeters. Despite its large size, it can reach 60 kilometers per hour, which is truly amazing. His favorite places to live are Greenland, Canada and the Arctic Islands. However, several specimens have also been found in Scandinavia, such as in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
Tundra, rocky plateaus and treeless shores are the main places where we will find this wonderful animal. As you can see, these are very cold areas where the average temperature is around 30 degrees below zero and the snow reaches heights of almost 40 centimeters.
It is a polygamous species and begins to reproduce before reaching the first year of age, especially in spring, in the months of April and May. It builds burrows to shelter with its young until they have enough fur to protect themselves from the cold.
The hind legs are longer than the front ones, which allows it to push the rest of the body and reach greater speed. Its body is robust and rounded, with a small head and an almost non-existent tail. His eyes are usually ebony black and have a very pronounced almond shape.
What does the arctic hare feed on?
When you think about the habitat of the Arctic hare, one of the first questions that comes to mind is what it feeds on, because everyone knows that in snowy and cold areas there is not much to choose from.
Well, its diet is mainly based on woody plants such as dwarf willow, moss, lichen, some berries that it finds when temperatures rise, leaves, branches and roots.
Depending on the season of the year, this rodent gets used to feeding on what the earth offers it. Being omnivorous, it can also feed on fish and small prey. In any case, his diet clearly demonstrates that life in the snow is not easy and that he must adapt his stomach to what he finds.
The question arises: how does the arctic hare find food in the snow? Here, thanks to its excellent sense of smell, this rodent is able to find the plants it feeds on even if they are under the snow. It’s a great digger that won’t take more than a few seconds to find what you need underground. For example, willow branches are usually found buried.
His sense of smell is such that he can even know when there is a trap set by hunters and he is able to dig until he finds food. This is his way to survive the harshest winters.
Arctic hare subspecies
There are four subspecies of arctic hare:
- Lepus articus articus.
- Lepus articus bangsii.
- Lepus articusgroenlandicus.
- Lepus articusmonstrabilis .
As you have noticed, the Arctic hare has to fight hard to survive in its natural habitat. Thankfully, his body and mind seem to be programmed for it. What do you think of this information on this fascinating rodent?
