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Mountain hare

From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems

The mountain hare (Lepus timidus Linnaeus, 1758) is a species of hare in the family Leporidae.[1] In the British Isles it is native to mainland Britain and Ireland. It is also called the blue hare, white hare or snow hare because its coat turns white in winter.[2][3] It is Britain's only native hare.[3] The Mammal Society gives its global status as Least Concern, and on the Mammal Society's Red List for Great Britain it is classed as Near Threatened.[4]

Description

Mountain hares grow to about 45–55 cm long in Scotland and 52–56 cm in Ireland, and weigh about 2.5–3.5 kg; females are slightly heavier than males.[5] The coat is brown in summer and white in winter, but because the change depends on temperature, not every hare turns completely white.[6] Their ears are long but shorter than those of the brown hare, with slightly black tips.[7]

Distribution and habitat

In the British Isles most mountain hares live in Scotland and Ireland. They are native to the Scottish Highlands and have been introduced to the Southern Uplands, to Scottish islands including Hoy, Mainland (Shetland), Mull and Skye, and to the Peak District in the late 1800s.[8] Elsewhere the species favours boreal forest, but in Britain it prefers heather moorland, usually above 300–400 m.[9]

The mountain hares of Ireland are genetically distinct and are known as the Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus).[10]

Behaviour and diet

Mountain hares eat plants, mostly heather, sedges, rushes and grasses.[11] They are most active at night.[12] Their numbers rise and fall over time, varying at least tenfold and peaking about every 10 years.[13]

Females carry their young for 50 days and usually give birth between March and July, having one to four litters a year of one to three young each.[14] The young, called leverets, are born with fur and open eyes, and their mother visits them to feed them in the evening.[15] Mountain hares can live for up to 12 years in the wild, but on average live only 3–4 years.[16]

Conservation

  • Global: Least Concern, as reported by the Mammal Society.[4]
  • Great Britain (Mammal Society regional Red List): Near Threatened in Great Britain overall and in Scotland; no category is given for England or Wales.[4]
  • European Union (legal listing, not a threat category): listed in Annex V of the 1992 Habitats Directive, which covers species whose taking from the wild may be subject to management measures.[17]
  • Scotland (legal protection): since 1 March 2021 the mountain hare has been on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which protects it all year round; killing, injuring or taking one without a licence is unlawful.[18][19]

The Mammal Society reports that numbers have fallen locally where former grouse moors have been planted with forest or where heather has been lost to heavy grazing by other animals.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Lepus timidus (species match)". GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Retrieved 18 October 2026. scientificName":"Lepus timidus Linnaeus, 1758","canonicalName":"Lepus timidus","rank":"SPECIES","status":"ACCEPTED","confidence":99,"matchType":"EXACT","kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Chordata","order":"Lagomorpha","family":"Leporidae
  2. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. The mountain hare is native to mainland Britain and Ireland and has been introduced to islands including Mull.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Also known as blue hares, white hares or snow hares, due to their coat turning white in winter, mountain hares are our only native hares.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Conservation status: UK Red List GB: Near Threatened England: N/A Scotland: Near Threatened Wales: N/A Global: Least Concern
  5. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Mountain hares can grow to around 45-55cm in Scotland and 52-56cm in Ireland. They weigh approximately 2.5 – 3.5kg, and females are slightly heavier than males.
  6. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Their fur changes colour depending on temperature, so not all individuals will always turn completely white.
  7. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. They have long ears that are shorter than those of the brown hare with slightly black tips.
  8. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. In the British Isles, most mountain hares are found in Scotland and Ireland, specifically where they are native in the Highlands of Scotland, but also where they have been introduced to the Southern Uplands and on some Scottish Islands including Hoy (Orkney), Mainland (Shetland), Mull and Skye. They are also present in the Peak District where they were introduced in the late 1800's.
  9. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Elsewhere, mountain hares favour boreal forest, but in Britain, they prefer heather moorlands; particularly those that are managed by burning in strips for red grouse. They are generally found above 300-400m
  10. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. In Ireland, mountain hares are genetically distinct, and are called the Irish hare or Lepus timidus hibernicus .
  11. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Mountain hares are herbivores and mostly eat heather (particularly Calluna vulgaris ), sedges, rushes, and grasses – especially in the summer.
  12. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Their runs usually pass directly up slopes, rather than traversing them like those of sheep and deer, and they are most active at night.
  13. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Mountain hare population densities fluctuate periodically, varying at least 10-fold, and reaching a peak approximately every 10 years.
  14. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Female mountain hares gestate for 50 days and mostly give birth in March-July to 1-4 litters of 1-3 offspring a year, but occasionally more.
  15. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. The newly born leverets are fully-furred, have open eyes and receive little parental care other than an evening suckling visit by their mother.
  16. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Mountain hares can live up to 12 years in the wild, but on average they live only 3-4.
  17. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. They are listed in Annex V of the EC Habitats Directive (1992) as a species 'of community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures.'
  18. ↑ "Protected species: hares". NatureScot. Retrieved 18 October 2026. From Monday 1 March 2021 mountain hare are included on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), giving them full protection. This means that at any time of the year, anyone who intentionally or recklessly kills, injures or takes mountain hare without a licence will be acting unlawfully.
  19. ↑ "The Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2021 (SSI 2021/42)". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Regulation 2 appoints 1 March 2021 for the coming into force of that section. Section 18 of the Act amends the protections for mountain hares under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
  20. ↑ "Mountain hare". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 18 October 2026. Their numbers have declined locally where favourable habitat such as former grouse moors have been afforested or heather has been removed by excessive grazing by other animals.
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