Field Guide
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European Hare
Lepus europaeus
Not yet photographed by the community
Long-legged, golden-eyed; "mad March hares" box in spring.
Species Profile
Red List (UK Birds of Prey-associated decline in populations due to intensified agriculture and predator control)
- Lifespan
- 5–8 years in the wild, occasionally up to 12 years
- Size & Weight
- 55–68 cm body length; 3–5.5 kg
- Habitat
- Open grassland, arable farmland, heathland, and rough pasture with minimal tree cover.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread across England, Wales, and lowland Scotland; absent from Ireland and some upland regions. Resident year-round.
- Diet
- Herbivorous, feeding on grasses, clover, dandelions, and other herbaceous plants; in winter, bark, buds, and cultivated crops.
- Predators
- Red fox, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, and occasionally buzzards and stoats.
- Mating Season
- December to August, with peak activity February to July
- Breeding
- 2–4 litters per year; typically 1–3 leverets per litter (occasionally up to 5); gestation 42 days; leverets independent at 3–4 weeks.
- Behaviour
- Solitary and nocturnal, sheltering in shallow depressions called forms. Famous for 'mad March hare' behaviour during breeding season, involving boxing matches between males to establish dominance. Capable of reaching speeds up to 56 km/h when evading predators.
- •European hares have eyes positioned high on their heads, allowing them to see predators approaching from almost any direction while feeding.
- •Unlike rabbits, hare leverets are born fully furred with open eyes and can fend for themselves within hours of birth.
- •The species was introduced to the UK in the Iron Age or Roman period and is now considered a native British mammal.
- •Hares are larger and faster than rabbits, and do not burrow; they rely entirely on speed and camouflage for survival.
- •Their long hind legs are disproportionately longer than front legs, making them supremely adapted for sprinting across open ground.
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