By Antonia Gorog
Geographic Range
Arctic hare are distributed through the tundra of Canada from Newfoundland and Labrador to the Mackenzie delta of the Northwest Territories. They are also found on arctic islands and in Greenland. Sea level to 900m.
Biogeographic Regions:
nearctic 
(native ); oceanic islands (native ).
Habitat
Arctic hare inhabit both mountainous and lowland areas. They require broken country with sheltered areas that allow vegetation to grow in the short summer and that keep some areas free of deep snow in the winter. Arctic hares dig for vegetation in these spots.
Terrestrial Biomes:
tundra .
Physical Description
(6.6 to 11 lbs)
In winter, Arctic hares are white with black ear-tips. The coloration of the summer pelage varies geographically: Tundra animals are blue-gray, whereas those on Ellesmere Island and Greenland are almost white. A variety of intermediate forms are found between these localities. The underfur is dense and gray. Guard hares are longer and black-tipped. Adult weight ranges from 7 to 12 pounds. Northern forms tend to be larger. The claws of the arctic hare, especially those of the forefeet, are elongate and curved. The hares use these powerful tools for digging in hard-packed snow.
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
The breeding season of Arctic hare is indicated by the growth and regression of the male gonads; the gonads enlarge in April and regress in mid-September. Mating takes place in April and May. By late May the fetuses are well-developed. The young are born in late May, June, or July, depending on geographic locality. On the mainland birth usually occurs by June 10, whereas in northern Greenland and on Ellesmere Island young are generally not born until late July. Lactation had been observed as late as August 25, which indicates that females may produce a second litter in one season. Litter size averages 5.4 young, with a range from two to eight. The litter is born into a depression in moss or grass, which is lined with dry vegetation or fur from the female. The nest is often hidden behind a boulder or shrub. The mother does not leave the young for the first 2 to 3 days after birth. By the third day the yound are able to protect themselves by lying still and hiding; they resemble rocks when they are motionless. The young become somewhat independent of the mother at 2 to3 weeks, meeting her only to nurse. Nursery bands of up to twenty young form and congregate with the females to nurse periodically. The young gain 45 to 50 grams per day in their first month and are weaned at 8 to 9 weeks. By September they are the size of the adults. The young first breed as yearlings.
Key reproductive features:
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual .
Behavior
Arctic hare are nocturnal and crepuscular. They are solitary much of the time, but are known to form groups of 100 to 300 animals. Most of the group rests and feeds, others remain alert. This hare species is active throughout the year and is able to survive the arctic winters with a combination of behavioral and physiological traits. Low surface area to volume ratio and insulative fur allow the hare to maintain a normal body temperature and a low basal metabolic rate. The animals huddle together in excavated snow shelters or behind boulders. Arctic hares have small home ranges and tend to follow familiar paths as they forage.
Arctic hares use their modified incisors to forage on snow-covered arctic plants. The incisors of hares in Greenland, where the snow is deep and lasts long, protrude farther than the incisors of southern hares.
Arctic hare can reach speeds of 64 km per hour. They can swim across narrow streams. Fleeing hares from southern populations use a four-legged gait; those from northern populations hop on their hind legs, then switch to a four-legged gait. If they are pursued closely, they again use a two-legged gait.
Individuals may fight. They do not bite, but tend to box, scratch, and snap at one another. There is no dominance among males and females.
Groups of hares disperses in the mating season. Pairs secure small territories on which mating takes place. Copulation involves the male biting the neck and shoulders on the female and often results in bloodshed. The male may mate again with another female. He usually leaves the female after the birth of the young. However, one male was observed to help a female defend her young against a fox.
Food Habits
The staple food for Arctic hare consists of woody plants. They are reported to eat mosses, lichens, buds, berries, blooms, leaves, saxifrages, cinquefoils, campoins, sedges, seaweed, bark, willow twigs and roots, crowberry, and the meat from the traps of hunters.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Arctic hare may compete with musk oxen and caribou in areas where their population numbers are high and all three species coexist.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Native peoples consume the meat of Arctic hares and use the hide for clothing and bandages.
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
food ; body parts are source of valuable material.
Conservation Status
We have no text on this topic for this species. Look to the sidebar on the right for some limited information.
Other Comments
Fossil remains of Lepus arcticus are known from a 34,000 year old deposit on Banks Island in the Northwest Territories, from a 12,000 year old Eskimo site in northern Greenland, and from a Norse trash pile in Greenland. Sangamonian and Wisconsinan fossils have been recovered in Alaska.
Contributors
Antonia Gorog (author), University of Michigan.
