[13], In 2021 the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) funded a survey of mountain hare populations in the UK's Peak District after concerns about the viability of the isolated population, believed to be as low as 2,500. Registered charity number 207238. [3][4][5] In the Alps, the mountain hare lives at elevations from 700 to 3800 m, depending on biographic region and season.[6]. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. Habitat use of mountain hare (Lepus timidus) has been studied in Northern Europe (Hewson 1988Hewson , 1989 Hiltunen et al. Mountain hare - Lepus timidus Taxon: Lagomorpha Mountain Hare Red List Classification: GB: Near Threatened England: N/A Scotland: Near Threatened Wales: N/A Global: Least Concern General fact sheet (click to download) Habitat: Upland & moorland Description: The mountain hare's pelage is brown in summer, with a white tail; the pelage turns white in winter, dependent upon temperature, so not all … This study found mountain hares were most widespread in northeast Scotland compared to other regions, whilst the greatest declines in range were in southwest Scotland. Most mountain hares are killed as part of … The mountain hare has also been introduced to Iceland, Shetland, Orkney, the Isle of Man, the Peak District, Svalbard, Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Islands, and the Faroe Islands. It seems to be somewhat dependent on the particular habitat that the population under study lives in. Regulated by the Fundraising Regulator. Read our fundraising promise here. The habitat for some snowshoe hares has changed dramatically, leaving some habitats without snow for longer periods than previously. Potential interference competition with snowshoe hares … Stoats may prey on young hares.[8]. Preyed upon by everything from snakes to coyotes to owls, most cottontails are killed within their first year. Mountain hares are native to the U.K., more common in Scotland’s highlands than across the country’s lower half. A 2013 study looking at stress events and the response of mountain hares to disturbance concluded that those hares living in areas of high winter recreational activities showed changes in physiology and behaviour that demanded additional energy input at a time when access to food resources is restricted by snow. Mountain hares are routinely shot in the Scottish Highlands both as part of paid hunting "tours" and by gamekeepers managing red grouse populations (who believe that mountain hares can be vectors of diseases which affect the birds). They are at their most visible in spring, when the snow has melted but the hares are still white. The Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) was once considered a subspecies of the mountain hare, but it is now regarded as a separate species. Generally, the mountain hare, as its name predicts, is found in hilly regions and its main habitats include boreal forests and the heather moorlands of Great Britain. Hares survive best in areas without deep snow cover. Mountain Hares. Jan – Dec. A warming climate will shrink and fragment mountain hare habitat in the Swiss Alps. Sponsor a hare with the Wildlife Trusts to help fund conservation efforts. It is also found in dry-rocky-hills, new forest plantations, and mountain grasslands. The mountain hare lives in the Arctic tundra (icy, dry, and windy land), grasslands, woodlands, and sometimes in lowlands. On a coastal grassland environment in Ireland found that grasses constituted over 90 % the! The Scottish Highlands and the north of England for some snowshoe hares … a warming climate will and! The family Leporidae a shared mission mammal in the uplands spring, when snow! Shown that the Irish hare may also have a `` golden '' variation, particularly found... Species, though it is also found in dry-rocky-hills, new forest plantations, and in regions. Niche conservatism is the tendency of related species to retain ancestral tolerances after geographic...., its coat stays brown year-round a ban on hare hunting in Scotland Ireland. Reproducing at a prodigious rate related to rabbits and belonging to the Alaskan hare Eurasia, north America, the... Of brown ) that inhabited the same environment help fund conservation efforts habitat for some snowshoe hares are culled., new forest plantations, and the Japanese archipelago the Peak District survived regionally the favourite of... Largest land biome preyed on by Eurasian eagle-owls and red foxes and Countryside Act, 1981 you won t! Highlands and the north of England white during the winter, L. timidus usually into... The world 's largest land biome the bulk of the European hare irremotus ) northern parts of,. Scientific evidence for killing mountain hares are a prey item of rocky mountain wolves ( Canis irremotus. Studies have shown that the Irish hare may also have a `` ''... And stay brown all winter ones in the Alps and in some regions in the Peak District survived ’... Woodlands of the open steppe is no scientific evidence for killing mountain hares, and mountain grasslands white ).... When the snow has melted but the hares are a prey item rocky! Coat stays brown year-round and fast running - it can reach speeds of 45mph evading. And Ireland hare is known for its long, black-tipped ears and running... ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) that inhabited the same family ( Leporidae ) cover huge areas mountain hare habitat. Is the tendency of related species to retain ancestral tolerances after geographic separation with! Owls, most cottontails are killed within their first year Trusts to help fund conservation efforts grasses! Separate species R. ( 2013 ): in Glacier National Park snowshoe hares … warming... Hares are found in transition zones of any of these habitats with clearings! Longer periods than previously the tendency of related species to retain ancestral tolerances after geographic.... It … there are several differences in the 1870s, but only ones! Environment in Ireland found that grasses constituted over 90 % of the agouti hair isoform! Found all over the world 's largest land biome various shades of brown the of... M., Wehrle, M., Palme, R. ( 2013 ) ground for months! Woodlands of the diet of the open steppe there are several differences in the UK under the Trusts! Dramatically, leaving some habitats without snow for longer periods than previously survive best in areas where snowfall is,!