Lepus americanus
Silhouette: Maha Ghazal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. The "snowshoe" moniker refers to the hare's large hind feet, which prevent it from sinking into soft snow, much like snowshoes.
The hare has two seasonal coats which aid in camouflaging the animal. In summer, the hare is covered in short, brown fur; in winter this is exchanged for a longer coat of white fur. The name "varying hare" refers to this seasonal change in appearance.
A major predator of the snowshoe hare is the Canada lynx. Historical records of animals caught by fur hunters over decades show the lynx and hare numbers rising and falling in a cycle, which has made the hare known to biology students worldwide as a case study of the relationship between numbers of predators and their prey.
The snowshoe hare was first described in 1777 by the German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben. He called it the American hare, and placed it in the genus Lepus, noting that it was intermediate in size between the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) but had longer hindfeet than the... Wikipedia →
Recording0:11
Canada · 2024
© Photographie Dassylva · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 16 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 17 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shubenacadie Wildlife Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snowshoe Hare sighting in Vancouver on a given day, based on 99 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 15th most-seen of the 28 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snowshoe Hare in Vancouver on a given day, against under 5% in November to February, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Snowshoe Hare sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Snowshoe Hare sightings, Vancouver ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 30%) and Edmonton (Canada, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Snowshoe Hare is recorded against all the mammals logged in Vancouver (99 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
