# Mountain Hare

*Lepus timidus*

They undergo a complete color change twice a year, molting from a summer brown to a snowy white winter coat to stay camouflaged.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Lagomorpha › Leporidae › Lepus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** tundra
- **Habitat:** Alpine tundra, moorlands, and boreal forests
- **Diet:** Grasses, herbs, heather, bark, and twigs
- **Range:** Scandinavia, Russia, Scotland, Alps, Ireland
- **Size:** 45-60 cm long, 2-5 kg
- **Lifespan:** 3-4 years
- **Active:** crepuscular
- **Threats:** Climate change reducing snow cover duration, habitat fragmentation, and competition with European hares.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless but skittish. Observe from a distance of at least 20 meters. Do not attempt to catch or corner it; while not aggressive, it can deliver a powerful kick if handled.

## About

The mountain hare ( Lepus timidus ), also known as blue hare , tundra hare , variable hare , white hare , snow hare, alpine hare , and Irish hare , is a Palearctic hare that is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/53e0e139-a6f5-4770-919b-59dbd0538cba
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55908
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepus timidus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/1711232/medium.jpg (Andrew, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.