I'm not sure how to begin now, but now that I've finished my summer school, I've finally found the time to write again! I really apologize for all who were anticipating posts to be released during the past few months. I won't blab much, but let's just say that summer school took a lot longer than I thought to finish~ so I'm really sorry for the long delay! It feels really good to be able to write on WeForWildlife again after such a long time. :) Let's jump right into it shall we? As I promised:
Arctic Hare
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| Courtesy: National Geographic |
Size: 20-29 in / 51- 75 cm
Weight: 6-15 lb / 3-7 kg
Diet: Omnivore
Lifespan: ~5 years
Appearance: snowy white body + black tipped short ears during winter / blue-grey coat during spring
Status:
Least of concern (for now) But it's best that we be careful--loss of habitat in the Arctic might eventually threaten them.
First off, what's the difference between a rabbit and a hare? Yep, the two terms are different! Hares actually have slightly longer hind legs than rabbits do. (I guess that's why it's the Tortoise and the Hare, not the Tortoise and the Rabbit!) The long legs of the arctic hare let it hop up to 40 miles per hour (60 km per hour)! Hares are also slightly bigger in size than rabbits.
Behavior
The Arctic Hare is not distinctly a herd or solitary animal. Sometimes they live together in groups, while other times they like spending time alone. When they are together during the winter season, they like to dig a burrow into the snow and cuddle up together~way to share the warmth!
Each spring or start of summer, a female will give birth to a litter of anywhere between two and eight cute baby hares. Baby hares grow very quickly~ it only takes a couple months for them to attain their adult characteristics, and they become ready to reproduce within one year!
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| "Arctic Hare (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada)" by Ansgar Walk |
Food and Diet
As I mentioned above, Arctic hares live on an omnivore diet. They mostly dig through the thick snow to find moss and lichens during the winter; they feast on fresh berries and parts of shrubs during the spring, summer, and fall.
The Arctic hare also poses as potential food for Arctic predators, which include the snowy owl (I quite like this animal, maybe I'll talk about it in the next post!), Arctic fox, and Arctic wolf. Although it is easy to quickly "side" with or favor one predator or prey, it is important to keep in mind that neither of these animals can survive as a steady species without the other. Not enough Arctic hare means its predators' population will start to drop due to lack of prey. If there aren't enough snowy owls, foxes, and wolves to hunt the hare, they will overpopulate themselves, creating competition amongst the hare that will lead to its own decreased population, as well as the demise of its food sources, such as shrubs, berries, mosses, etc. Without these plants and animals, we can only imagine what a desolate place the Arctic will become.
Adaptations
Since they live in such a harsh environment, the Arctic hare has evolved many useful adaptations over the years to allow it to survive. These hares have a thick, white coat to help preserve heat, which turns blue-gray during the spring to help it camouflage from predators in the shrubs and rocks. During the winter, their coat is pure white, which helps them blend in with the snow. The small, dark ears also contribute to conserving body heat.
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| "Arctic hair (summer fur), Ukkusiksalik National Park, Nunavut, Canada" by Ansgar Walk |
The Arctic hares were prized by the Native Americans that lived in the region (called the Hare Indians), who relied upon hares as one of their food sources. However, Arctic hares may soon become over hunted for their fur and for food. Let's make sure than when humans begin swarming into the Arctic (for what reason? I don't know. But I suspect we will someday move into the Arctic/Antarctic when we become too overpopulated) we don't kill off too many of these beautiful creatures. After all, without them, the entire ecosystem would fall apart. Shrubs and their food will overgrow and their predators will lose a very valuable food source. Let's make sure the Arctic hare and all other "least-concern" species don't have to follow the same unfortunate path as the endangered animals!
Here is a video of the arctic hare for you to enjoy. From National Geographic, no copyright infringement intended. (and a quick note for you all at the bottom)
I really hope you guys enjoyed this post! After such a long break from WeForWildlife, I'm afraid I might have been a bit rusty writing this post~however, I'll make sure to make the next ones better! I'm thinking of doing the snowy owl next~ after all, they are a wonderful Arctic species, and I've just finished rereading the Harry Potter books...maybe I'll even include a tribute to Hedwig! (congratulations if you understood that reference)
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| Hedwig (a snowy owl from Harry Potter) |
I'm really sorry about just getting back onto WeForWildlife and having to disappear again for another month! However, I will try to keep writing my posts offline while I'm away, and post up what I've written over my vacation when I get back. Hopefully I'll be able to get around one or two more posts done and ready for you guys by the time I return. I'll let you all know as soon as I get back when to expect another update on the Arctic theme!
~Cheri
Sources:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/arctic-hare/
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/hare_arctic
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