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Lepus timidus

(Li?vre Variable)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Dutch:

Sneeuwhaas

Common Names in English:

Arctic hare, Eurasian arctic, Eurasian Arctic Hare, mountain hare, white hare

Common Names in French:

Li?vre Variable

Common Names in Russian:

Заяц-беляк

Common Names in Spanish:

Liebre Variable

Description

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Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 805 meters (0 to 2,641 feet).[1]

Ecology: L. timidus inhabits tundra and taiga, particularly pine, birch, and juniper (Flux and Angermann 1990). Moors and bogland are the preferred habitats for this species in Ireland and Scotland (Flux and Angermann 1990). However, L. timidus hibernicus will also utilize cultivated land , rich agricultural area, in Ireland (Thulin 2003). L. timidus occupies lowland woodlands of open steppe in southern Russia along with reed belts around lakes (Flux and Angermann 1990). In Mongolia, it occurs in forests located on the Altai, Hingan, Hentei, Hovsgol, and Hangai mountain ranges (Mallon 1985).

The diet of L. timdus varies in relation to the type of habitat it occupies (Flux and Angermann 1990). Calluna (heather) constitutes the bulk of the diet in Scotland, while birch, juniper, poplar, willow, and Vaccinium are selected in Europe (Flux and Angermann 1990). If present, L. timidus will consume palatable grasses and clovers (Flux and Angermann 1990).

L. timidus is a nocturnal species that will increase daytime activity during summer months (Flux and Angermann 1990). Home range for this species ranges according to locality (Flux and Angermann 1990). In Scotland, home ranges as small as 10 ha have been observed, while in Finland it was reported that home ranges could be as large as 305 ha (Flux and Angermann 1990).

In areas where L. timidus and L. europaeus coexist, L. timidus will retreat to areas of higher elevation (Thulin 2003). The reason for this is believed to be competitive exclusion , L. timidus yields habitat to L. europaeus (Thulin 2003).

Litter size of L. timidus is variable (two to six) according to the number of litters and the latitude (Angerbjorn pers. comm. ). Gestation time is between 47-55 days (Angerbjorn pers. comm. ). The breeding season is February to August (Macdonald and Barrett 1993). L. timidus reaches maturity at one year of age. Longevity for L. timidus is nine years (Macdonald and Barrett 1993). Natural mortality for juveniles is 80%, while adult mortality is 58% (Macdonald and Barrett 1993). Total length of this species is 45.7-61.0 cm (Macdonald and Barrett 1993).

L. t. hibernicus is the only endemic hare of Ireland (Reid and Montgomery 2007). Contrary to other mountain hare populations, this subspecies "occurs at all altitudes and can be found in most habitats throughout Ireland" (Reid and Montgomery 2007). L. t. hibernicus typically forages on grasses (Reid and Montgomery 2007).[2].

List of Habitats:

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 15-Aug-2007

There are currently 15 recognized subspecies : Lepus timidus ainu, L. t. begitschevi, L. t. gichiganus, L. t. hibernicus, L. t. kamtschaticus, L. t. kolymensis, L. t. kozhevnikovi, L. t. lugubris, L. t. mordeni, L. t. orii, L. t. scoticus, L. t. sibiricorum, L. t. timidus, L. t. transbaicalicus, and L. t. varronis (Hoffmann and Smith 2005).[2].

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Lepus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 58 species and subspecies in this genus:

L. alleni (Antelope Jack Rabbit) · L. alleni alleni (Antelope Jack Rabbit) · L. americanus (Snowshoe Rabbit) · L. americanus americanus (Snowshoe Hare) · L. americanus klamathensis (Snowshoe Hare) · L. americanus seclusus (Bighorn Mountain Snowshoe Hare) · L. americanus tahoensis (Sierra Nevada Snowshoe Hare) · L. americanus washingtonii (Washington Snowshoe Hare) · L. arcticus (Arctic Hare) · L. arcticus arcticus (Arctic Hare) · L. brachyurus (Japanese Hare) · L. brachyurus brachyurus (Japanese Hare) · L. californica (Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. californicus (Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. californicus bennettii (Black-Tailed Jackrabbit) · L. californicus californicus (Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. callotis (Beautiful-Eared Jack Rabbit) · L. callotis callotis (Beautiful-Eared Jack Rabbit) · L. callotis gaillardi (White-Sided Jackrabbit) · L. capensis (European Hare) · L. capensis capensis (Brown Hare) · L. castroviejoi (Broom Hare) · L. comus (Yunnan Hare) · L. coreanus (Korean Hare) · L. corsicanus (APPENINE HARE) · L. europaeus (European Brown Hare) · L. fagani (Ethiopian Hare) · L. flavigularis (Tehuantepec Jack Rabbit) · L. granatensis (Iberian Hare) · L. granatensis granatensis (Granada Hare) · L. habessinicus (Abyssinian Hare) · L. hainanus (Chinese Pinyin) · L. insularis (Espiritu Santo Jackrabbit) · L. mandshuricus (Manchurian Hare) · L. microtis (African Savanna Hare) · L. nigricollis (Black-Napped Hare) · L. nigricollis nigricollis (Indian Hare) · L. oiostolus (Woolly Hare) · L. oiostolus oiostolus (Woolly Hare) · L. oistolus (Woolly Hare) · L. othus (Beringian Hare) · L. othus othus (Alaskan Hare) · L. peguensis (Siamese Hare) · L. saxatilis (Savannah Hare) · L. saxatilis saxatilis (Scrub Hare) · L. sinensis (Chinese Hare) · L. sinensis sinensis (Chinese Hare) · L. starcki (Ethiopian Highland Hare) · L. tibetanus (Desert Hare) · L. timidus (Eurasian Arctic Hare) · L. timidus timidus (Arctic Hare) · L. tolai (Tolai Hare) · L. townsendi (White-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. townsendii (White-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. townsendii campanius (White-Tailed Jackrabbit) · L. townsendii townsendii (Western White-Tailed Jackrabbit) · L. victoriae (African Savanna Hare) · L. yarkandensis (Yarkland Hare)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 11, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Mean = 247.270 meters (811.253 feet), Standard Deviation = 230.500 based on 1,586 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
  2. Smith, A.T. & Johnston, C.H. 2008. Lepus timidus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 01 February 2012. [back]
Last Revised: 7/14/2012