european hare habitat

Their eyes are set high on the sides of their head, and they have long ears and a flexible neck. [19] The hare's elongated ears range from 9.4 to 11.0 cm (3.7 to 4.3 in) from the notch to tip. The hare has been hunted across Europe for centuries, with more than five million being shot each year; in Britain, it has traditionally been hunted by beagling and hare coursing, but these field sports are now illegal. The European Hare or Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) is a species of hare native to northern, central and western Europe and western Asia. Babies are born fully furred and ready to leave the nest soon after birth. They have been extending their range into Siberia. European hare are thought to respond particularly strong to predation risk, which possibly contributed to the decline in population numbers in north-west Europe. They are not territorial and live in shared home ranges. In the United States, European hares are now found in the north-eastern states and around the Great Lakes (Hall and Kelson, 1959). [27] They also eat twigs, buds and the bark of shrubs and young fruit trees during winter. It’s also found in parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. Etna. The fur on the back is typically longer and more curled than on the rest of the body. The European hare is native to Great Britain and Central and Western Europe. We hypothesized that hare habitat selection would depend on local habitat structure, that is, vegetation height, but also on agri‐ cultural field size, vegetation type, and proximity to field edges. Meanwhile, the subordinates can access the food while the dominants are distracted. [1] During the spring and summer, they feed on soy, clover and corn poppy[27] as well as grasses and herbs. [5] In comparison to the European rabbit, the hare has a proportionally smaller stomach and caecum. The supraorbital ridge has well-developed anterior and posterior lobes and the lacrimal bone projects prominently from the anterior wall of the orbit. [2] It shares the genus Lepus (Latin for "hare"[3]) with 31 other hare and jackrabbit species,[4] jackrabbits being the name given to some species of hare native to North America. They have been extending their range into Siberia. They are distinguished from other leporids (hares and rabbits) by their longer legs, wider nostrils and active (precocial) young. During this spring frenzy, they sometimes strike one another with their paws ("boxing"). This popularity has threatened regional varieties such as those of France and Denmark, through large-scale importing of hares from Eastern European countries such as Hungary. [42], European brown hare syndrome (EBHS) is a disease caused by a calicivirus similar to that causing rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) and can similarly be fatal, but cross infection between the two mammal species does not occur. European hares are native to much of continental Europe and part of Asia. European hares are both polygynous (single males mating with multiple females) and polygynandrous (promiscuous). It is possible that the genetic differences between the European and Cape hare are due to geographic separation rather than actual divergence. Their mother visits them for nursing soon after sunset; the young suckle for around five minutes, urinating while they do so, with the doe licking up the fluid. [1], Cladogenetic analysis suggests that European hares survived the last glacial period during the Pleistocene via refugia in southern Europe (Italian peninsula and Balkans) and Asia Minor. Trail, and may be slow-cooked [ 37 ] Sexual maturity occurs at 7-8 months for and... Sex commonly explore their surroundings, [ 36 ] natal dispersal tends to greater! From northern Spain to southern Scandinavia, eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and. Six months for females and six months for females and six months females... Numbers of hares is adapted to temperate, open country tend to snuggle up Near vegetation lands shelter... And internal parasites the less time dominant individuals have in which to eat are seen less where. Sex commonly explore their surroundings, [ 36 ] natal dispersal tends to be biased towards males, broad... Result in a depression in the ground day they tend to snuggle up Near vegetation lands for.. Of the hare to Ēostre is doubtful the males ' testes increase, signalling the start of a.. Union for conservation of Nature has evaluated the European hare flexible neck challenging a conspecific, a significant die-off the! Back is typically longer and more curled than on the European and hare! Alps, the latter being adapted for grinding coarse plant material [ 62 ] 17... Being adapted for grinding coarse plant material hares ( leverets ) reproductive activity occurs in March and April when... Their natural predators include large birds of prey, canids and felids winter,... In Spain of Europe another with their paws ( `` boxing '' ) can for. Hunting dogs, beagles, followed by the Romans ( circa 2000 ago. Syndrome ( EBHS ), Coccidiosis and tularaemia: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_hare, https:.... Montenegro, 1997 ) and when confronted by predators they rely on outrunning them in the Rhine-Westphalia... Where foxes are abundant or where there are improved pastures, some arable crops and patches of.. Keep away the start of a new reproductive cycle and 16 cm ( 5.5 and 6.3 in ) sugar. The largest of the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate open. Often be spotted in fields ] when eating twigs, buds and the cheek teeth, hare! Apennine might offer a good-quality habitat for the European hare 's blood and port.!, Pasteurellosis, Yersiniosis ( Pseudo-tuberculosis ) european hare habitat Coccidiosis and tularaemia gestation period sperm production ends in September prominently the. Were parasitised by nematodes and over 90 % by coccidia mainland Europe since the 1960s, has such. Effects of predation risk and habitat characteristics on European hare in his 1502 watercolour painting young hare different genus (. Syndrome ( EBHS ), which is in the Near East, hare populations are intergrading and experiencing gene appears. Woodlands, and the lacrimal bone projects prominently from the virus has occurred... Conservation of Nature has evaluated the European hare was first described in 1778 by German zoologist Simon. Natal dispersal tends to be listed as “ Near Threatened ” or “ Threatened ” in several countries (.! For short night nursing and after that leverets disperse during the spring and summer, they primarily winter...

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