Wildlife

Snowshoe Hare The most distinctive feature of the snowshoe hare is the seasonal change in coat color. For camouflage, in summer the hare is reddish brown above and white underneath, while in winter it becomes totally white, except for the tips of its ears, which remain black. Another unmistakable feature is its hind feet, which are quite broad (hence “snowshoes”) and they are covered with a dense coat in winter, which facilitates movement on the snow-covered ground. The hare is completely vegetarian, feeding on many plant species in summer, and bark and shoots in winter.

The main predators of the snowshoe hare are coyotes, bobcats, lynxes, red foxes, weasels - and man, and as we found out first-hand about 20 years ago, pet cats. We were cat-sitting for few days for a neighbour, and as instructed put his cat out at night and fed it each morning. On the second morning the cat was nowhere to be found, until later on it came straggling back, looking very much roughed-up and not the least bit hungry. An hour later we discovered the reason - half a hare was laying in the path - we figured the cat had eaten his fill already.

The main difference between hares and rabbits is that rabbits burrow and hares do not. Rabbits hide from danger in the burrows, while hares run. Hares have therefore adapted long legs for running and large ears to give them a good head start. We seem to get a new family of them each year, as they can easily cross the ice from the mainland in winter.