Fauna Flora Photography

Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus

A hare found in North America primarily in boreal forests, active all year around. The fur is rusty-brown in summer and white in the winter. It feeds on grass, plants in summer and can be seen feeding on dead animals in winter.

Taxonomy

Mammalia > Lagomorpha > Leporidae

Names in different Languages

GermanSchneeschuhhase
EnglishSnowshoe Hare
FrenchLièvre d'Amérique, Lièvre variable, Lièvre à raquettes
SpanishLiebre americana

How to Identify

Very similar to Cottontail Rabbit but missing the white tail and back legs are proportionally significantly larger, almost the length of half of the body. Also, the fur is more homogenous than Cottontail Rabbit. Primary characteristic is the lack of the white tail though.

Where When to Spot

Cannot be seen around Montreal. To see this species, you have to go more remote, towards the North where you find boreal forests.

SpringSummerFallWinter
Portneuf-sur-mer 0 1 0 0
  0 1 0 0

Number of times a species has been observed, identified, and recorded. A species is reported only once per visit to a park.

Photos of Snowshoe Hare

Last updated on 2023-01-16. Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to parks in the Montreal area.