Snowshoe hare
Lepus americanus
The photoperiod—the interval in a day during which an animal is exposed to light—is the main trigger for fall and spring moults when the hare’s fur goes from brownish to white in the fall and back again in the spring.
Reproduction
From the age of 4 months, mating takes place between late March and late June. After a gestation of 36 or 37 days, females give birth between May and September, 3 or 4 litters of an average of 2 to 4 leverets (1 to 9) to be weaned at the age of 1 month.
Alimentation
Primarily herbivorous, eats mainly grass and green plants as well as stems of fruit shrubs and certain fungi. In winter, its diet consists of buds, the twigs and bark of several species of trees and shrubs.
Prédateurs
The Canada lynx, red foxes, coyotes, the great-horned owl, the rough-legged hawk, bobcats and the snowy owl.
Longévité
In nature, rarely more than 5 years.
Forêt Laurentienne
