Slow and steady may win the race, but the Arctic hare definitely knows how to survive! Reaching up to 40 miles per hour, the Arctic hare is built for quick getaways from predators. With their tall hind legs and claws, they can dig into the packed snow for the traction needed to get from point a to point b with relative ease. They are able to hop on their hind legs, like a kangaroo, at speeds up to 30 miles per hour as well!
The Arctic hare’s fur coat will change its coloration depending on the season. During winter it will be a brilliant white with black tips on its ears, a perfect camouflage to help stay hidden from predators in the vast white of snow. The farther north the hares live, the coat is almost always white. During the summer its coat will be a blue-grey or brown-grey, mimicking its surroundings, the rocks and local vegetation.
Though food is scarce in the Arctic, the hare are resourceful. They will be found eating moss, woody plants, and even lichen by digging through the snow. During the other seasons they will eat berries, seaweed, leaves, buds, roots, and even bark. Arctic hares have also been seen eating fish on rare occasions. For their source of water, they will eat snow, after all, there is plenty to go around!
Arctic hares mostly will live alone, but have been seen in groups of up to thousands. During breeding season they will pair off and define their territories in April to September. Females give birth to one litter each year, having 2 to 8 leverets (baby hares) during mid-summer. The babies will normally be ready for winter by September, and able to mate the next mating season.
Arctic hares have a wide range of predators. The Arctic wolf, arctic fox, red fox and snowy owl to name a few. The Native Americans also historically hunted the hares for the pelts for clothes and meat.
Though the Arctic hare has many predators, they have adapted quite well to survive and thrive in their harsh icy biome.
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