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The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks.
Among animals, variable snow camouflage is a type of seasonal polyphenism with a distinct winter plumage or pelage. It is found in birds such as the rock ptarmigan, lagomorphs such as the Arctic hare, mustelids such as the stoat, and one canid, the Arctic fox. Since these have evolved separately, the similar appearance is due to convergent ...
Convergent evolution of snow camouflage in Arctic hare, ermine, and ptarmigan provided early evidence for natural selection. In his 1889 book Darwinism, the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace considered the white coloration of Arctic animals.
Arctic hare - In Newfoundland and southern Labrador, the Arctic hare changes its coat color, moulting and growing new fur, from brown or grey in the summer to white in the winter, like some other Arctic animals including ermine and ptarmigan, enabling it to remain camouflaged as the environment changes. [2]
On a longer timescale, animals like the Arctic hare, Arctic fox, stoat, and rock ptarmigan have snow camouflage, changing their coat colour (by moulting and growing new fur or feathers) from brown or grey in the summer to white in the winter; the Arctic fox is the only species in the dog family to do so. [87]
Arctic hare footprints on the snow. The white fur of Arctic hares, in addition to their camouflage benefits in the winter, have a high reflectance which may prevent excessive heat gain during the day. [16] [19] Behaviorally, the Arctic hare keeps warm in winter using body orientation, posture, and seeking or digging shelter. [21]
Here's how we compiled the list: We pored through 30-year average snowfall statistics of hundreds of locations in the U.S. from 1991 through 2020. We considered only those towns and cities with a ...
European hare (above) compared with a mountain hare Stuffed mountain hare, showing the winter pelage The mountain hare is a large species, though it is slightly smaller than the European hare . It grows to a length of 45–65 cm (18–26 in), with a tail of 4–8 cm ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 –3 in), and a mass of 2–5.3 kg ( 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 – 11 + 3 ⁄ 4 ...