Arctic hare

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Arctic hare
Arctic Hare 1.jpg
Arctic hare in Nunavut, Canada
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Lepus
Species:
L. arcticus
Binomial name
Lepus arcticus
Ross, 1819
Subspecies

4, see text

Lepus arcticus map.svg
Arctic hare range

The Arctic hare [2] (Lepus arcticus) is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20% of its body, and a thick coat of fur. It usually digs holes in the ground or under the snow to keep warm and to sleep. Arctic hares look like rabbits but have shorter ears, are taller when standing, and, unlike rabbits, can thrive in extreme cold. They can travel together with many other hares, sometimes huddling with dozens or more, but are usually found alone, sometimes taking more than one partner. The Arctic hare can run up to 60 kilometres per hour (40 mph). [3]

Contents

Etymology

The Arctic hare is named for the region in which it was first discovered, the Arctic tundra. Its generic name, Lepus, is borrowed from Latin and refers to hares, rabbits (as inferred from the earlier Hellenistic Greek λεβηρίς (levirís), rabbit), and the constellation of the same name. [4] The specific name, arcticus, is also borrowed from Latin, and is more directly derived from the Greek ἀρκτικός (arktikos), "near the Bear, northern". [5] [6]

In the Cree language, the Arctic hare is named meestapoos, coming from the words for "large", meesta, and "rabbit", wâpos . [7]

Taxonomy

Arctic explorer John Ross described the Arctic hare in 1819. [1]

Description

The Arctic hare is one of the largest living lagomorphs. Typically, this species measures from 43 to 70 cm (17 to 28 in) long, not counting a tail length of 4.5 to 10 cm (1.8 to 3.9 in). The body mass of this species is typically between 2.5–5.5 kg (6–12 lb), though large individuals can weigh up to 7 kg (15 lb). [8]

Subspecies

There are four subspecies of this hare: [9]

Distribution and habitat

The Arctic hare is distributed over the northernmost regions of Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands and Northern Canada, including Ellesmere Island, and farther south in Labrador and Newfoundland. [10] The Arctic hare is well adapted to conditions found in the tundras, plateaus, and treeless coasts of this region, including cold weather and frozen precipitation. The Arctic hare may be found at elevations from sea level to 900 m (3,000 ft). [10] [11]

In Newfoundland and Southern Labrador, the Arctic hare changes its coat color, moulting and growing new fur, from brown or grey in the summer to white in the winter. This seasonal moulting also enables other Arctic animals, including ermine and ptarmigan, to remain camouflaged as the environment changes. [12] However, the Arctic hares in the far north of Canada, where summer is very short, remain white all year round. [12]

Fossil record and history

Arctic hare fossils are rare prior to the Holocene epoch, with fossils from the Last Glacial Period found in North America (Wisconsin glaciation) and Europe (Würm glaciation) and no fossils from before the Holocene found in Russia. [13] The Arctic hare persevered in refugia during periods of glaciation, which led to its differentiation from the Alaskan hare (L. othus) in as each species was separated in different parts of North America. Evidence of the Arctic hare has been found in Greenland from 7,960 years ago, and it has colonized regions across the Bering Strait at least twice. [14]

Feeding

The Arctic hare is a herbivore, specifically a folivore. [15] Arctic hares feed primarily on woody plants, with arctic willow constituting 95% of their diet year-round. [15] Arctic hares predominantly consume saxifrage, crowberry, and dwarf willow, but can also eat a variety of other foods, including lichens and mosses, blooms, other species' leaves, twigs, and roots, mountain sorrel and macroalgae (seaweed). [15] [16] Arctic hare diets are more diverse in summer. [17] Although previously believed to still be primarily willow, dryas, and grasses, recent studies show that their diet becomes dominated by legumes, constituting 70% of their diet in the summer. [15] [17] Arctic hares have been reported to occasionally eat meat, including fish and the stomach contents of eviscerated caribou. [15] They eat snow to get water. [15]

Physiology

The Arctic hare has many physiological features that are adaptive to its extreme environment. Despite a 17% - 38% lower than expected basal metabolic rate, the Arctic hare is able to maintain a body temperature comparable to other lagomorphs (38.9 degrees C) because of its low surface area to volume ratio and high insulation. [18] [16] [19] The lowered metabolic rate also allows the Arctic hare to save energy, making it adaptive for its cold and barren habitat. [18] [16] [19] In addition, the Arctic hare has high locomotive efficiency combined with long periods of resting and shorter bouts of foraging which enables it to conserve energy and survive on its low diet intake. [20]

Arctic hare footprints on the snow Petjada-llebre-artica.jpg
Arctic hare footprints on the snow

The white fur of Arctic hares, in addition to their camouflage benefits in the winter, have a high reflectance which may prevent excessive heat gain during the day. [16] [19] Behaviorally, the Arctic hare keeps warm in winter using body orientation, posture, and seeking or digging shelter. [21] When resting, Arctic hares maintain a nearly spherical shape and typically stay in groups, but do not huddle. [21] If the rabbits are solitary, they often rest in the shelter of large rocks protecting them from the wind and staying out of sight of predators. [21] [16] [20] [19] In addition to rocks, Arctic hares also find shelter in other natural shelters such as snowdrifts, man-made structures, and even digging their own burrows in snowdrifts up to 188 cm in length. [21]

The body size of Arctic hares is often significantly less in the winter compared to the summer, likely caused by decreased food quality and availability in addition to a decreased metabolic rate. [16] [19] Arctic hare body mass might also be affected by ambient temperature. At lower latitudes it was found that Arctic hares in Greenland exhibited larger body size with increased temperature, possibly caused by increased energy availability to contribute to body size and increased food plant availability. [22] The opposite is true at higher latitudes in which Arctic hares had smaller body sizes with increased temperature. [22] This trend is again linked to food plant availability. [22] In this case, decreased precipitation and increased temperatures in the higher latitudes of Greenland result in a lower food plant availability to contribute to body mass. [22]

Reproduction and lifespan

Summer coat Lepus arcticus 1996-07-30.jpg
Summer coat

Breeding season occurs around April or May. [16] [23] Gestation period of the Arctic hare is 53 days, so the babies are born around May, June, or July. [16] [23] Hares can have up to eight babies (average litter size 5.4), called leverets. [16] [23] The leverets stay within the mother's home range until they can survive on their own. [24] Young Arctic hares are almost full size by late July (some weeks after birth) and breed for the first time after a year of age. [23]

There is little information on the lifespan of Arctic hares. Some anecdotal evidence suggests they live three to five years in the wild. [15] Arctic hares do not fare well in captivity, living only a year and a half at most. [15]

Predators

Known predators of the Arctic hare are the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Wolf (Canis lupus), Lynx (Lynx canadensis), Ermine (Mustela erminea), Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), Rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus) – and occasionally humans. [10]

The Arctic wolf is probably the most successful predator of the Arctic hare, and even young wolves in their first autumn can catch adult hares. [25] Arctic foxes and ermines, which are smaller, typically prey on young hares. [25] Gyrfalcon carry hares to their nests, cutting them in half first; gyrfalcons use hare bones and feet in the structure of their nests on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. [25] Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) also prey on Arctic hares in the southern end of the hares' range. [25] The snowy owls mainly target young hares; the French common name of the species derives from Anglo-Saxon harfang ("hare-catcher"). [25]

Four groups of parasites have been known to use Arctic hares as a host: protozoans (Eimeria exigua, Eimeria magna, Eimeria perforans, and Eimeria sculpta); nematodes (including Filaria and Oxyuris ambigua); lice (including Haemodipsus lyriocephalus and Haemodipsus setoni) and fleas (including Euhoplopsyllus glacialis and Megabothris groenlandicus). [10] Fleas are more common than parasitic worms. [10] [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic fox</span> Species of fox

The Arctic fox, also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. It is well adapted to living in cold environments, and is best known for its thick, warm fur that is also used as camouflage. It has a large and very fluffy tail. In the wild, most individuals do not live past their first year but some exceptional ones survive up to 11 years. Its body length ranges from 46 to 68 cm, with a generally rounded body shape to minimize the escape of body heat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hare</span> Genus of mammals in the family Leporidae

Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus Lepus. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The genus includes the largest lagomorphs. Most are fast runners with long, powerful hind legs, and large ears that dissipate body heat. Hare species are native to Africa, Eurasia and North America. A hare less than one year old is called a "leveret". A group of hares is called a "husk", a "down", or a "drove".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lagomorpha</span> Order of mammals

The lagomorphs are the members of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, of which there are two living families: the Leporidae and the Ochotonidae (pikas). There are 110 recent species of lagomorph of which 109 are extant, including ten genera of rabbits, one genus of hare and one genus of pika. The name of the order is derived from the Ancient Greek lagos + morphē.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leporidae</span> Family of lagomorphs

Leporidae is the family of rabbits and hares, containing over 70 species of extant mammals in all. The Latin word Leporidae means "those that resemble lepus" (hare). Together with the pikas, the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order Lagomorpha. Leporidae differ from pikas in that they have short, furry tails and elongated ears and hind legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowshoe hare</span> Species of mammal

The snowshoe hare, also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Its feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from freezing temperatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain hare</span> Species of mammal

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European hare</span> Large species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia

The European hare, also known as the brown hare, is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, open country. Hares are herbivorous and feed mainly on grasses and herbs, supplementing these with twigs, buds, bark and field crops, particularly in winter. Their natural predators include large birds of prey, canids and felids. They rely on high-speed endurance running to escape predation, having long, powerful limbs and large nostrils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic wolf</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Arctic wolf, also known as the white wolf, polar wolf, and the Arctic grey wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to the High Arctic tundra of Canada's Queen Elizabeth Islands, from Melville Island to Ellesmere Island. Unlike some populations that move between tundra and forest regions, Arctic wolves spend their entire lives north of the northern treeline. Their distribution to south is limited to the northern fringes of the Middle Arctic tundra on the southern half of Prince of Wales and Somerset Islands. It is a medium-sized subspecies, distinguished from the northwestern wolf by its smaller size, its whiter colouration, its narrower braincase, and larger carnassials. Since 1930, there has been a progressive reduction in size in Arctic wolf skulls, which is likely the result of wolf-dog hybridization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broom hare</span> Species of mammal

The broom hare is a species of hare endemic to northern Spain. It was described in 1976 as separate from the Granada hare. It is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaskan hare</span> Species of mammal

The Alaskan hare, also known as the tundra hare, is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. They do not dig burrows and are found in the open tundra of western Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula in the United States. They are solitary for most of the year except during mating season, when they produce a single litter of up to eight young. Predators include birds of prey, lynx, mustelids and wolves, among other animals, as well as humans.

Although the bulk of its area is covered by ice caps inhospitable to most forms of life, Greenland's terrain and waters support a wide variety of plant and animal species. The northeastern part of the island is the world's largest national park. The flora and fauna of Greenland are strongly susceptible to changes associated with climate change.

The East Bay (Qaqsauqtuuq) Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Qaqsauqtuuq Migratory Bird Sanctuary, or Refuge d'oiseaux de la baie Est is a migratory bird sanctuary in the Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in East Bay, an arm of Hudson Bay, in southeast Southampton Island. The nearest community is Coral Harbour, 35 km (22 mi) to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyrfalcon</span> Species of bird

The gyrfalcon, also abbreviated as gyr, is a bird of prey from the genus Falco and the largest species of the family Falconidae. A high-latitude species, the gyrfalcon breeds on the Arctic coasts and tundra, the islands of northern North America and the Eurosiberian region, where it is mainly a resident species. Some gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season or in winter, and individual vagrancy can take birds for long distances. Its plumage varies with location, with birds being coloured from all-white to dark brown. These colour variations are called morphs. Like other falcons, it shows sexual dimorphism, with the female much larger than the male.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic foothills tundra</span> Tundra ecoregion of Alaska, United States

The Arctic foothills tundra is an ecoregion of the far north of North America, lying inland from the north coast of Alaska. This is permafrost tundra with an average annual temperature below freezing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Arctic tundra</span> Biogeographic region in Northern Canada

The Canadian Arctic tundra is a biogeographic designation for Northern Canada's terrain generally lying north of the tree line or boreal forest, that corresponds with the Scandinavian Alpine tundra to the east and the Siberian Arctic tundra to the west inside the circumpolar tundra belt of the Northern Hemisphere.

References

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  2. ↑ Hoffman, R.S.; Smith, A.T. (2005). "Order Lagomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 195–196. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
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  5. ↑ Liddell, Henry George and Scott, Robert. "Arktikos." Archived 30 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine A Greek-English Lexicon. Perseus Digital Library.
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  8. ↑ Burnie D and Wilson DE (Eds.) (2005). Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife. DK Adult, ISBN   0789477645
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  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Lepus arcticus (Arctic hare), Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
  11. ↑ Small, R., L. Keith, R. Barta. (1991). Dispersion of introduced Arctic hares (Lepus arcticus) on islands off Newfoundland's south coast. Canadian Journal of Zoology 69(10):2618-2623.
  12. 1 2 "Arctic Wildlife". Churchill Polar Bears. 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
  13. ↑ Waltari, Eric; Cook, Joseph A. (2005). "Hares on ice: phylogeography and historical demographics of Lepus arcticus, L. othus, and L. timidus (Mammalia: Lagomorpha)" (PDF). Molecular Ecology. 14. Blackwell Publishing, Ltd.: 3005–3016. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02625.x.
  14. ↑ Smith, Andrew T.; Johnston, Charlotte H.; Alves, Paulo C.; Hackländer, Klaus, eds. (2018). "Lepus arcticus (Ross, 1819) Arctic Hare". Lagomorphs: Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-1-4214-2341-8. LCCN   2017004268.
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  18. 1 2 Wang, Lawrence C. H.; Jones, Douglas L.; MacArthur, Robert A.; Fuller, William A. (2011-02-14). "Adaptation to cold: energy metabolism in an atypical lagomorph, the arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 51 (8): 841–846. doi:10.1139/z73-125. PMID   4750284.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Hacklaender, Klaus (2018). "Lepus arcticus Ross, 1819, Arctic hare". Lagomorphs: 165–168.
  20. 1 2 Klein, David R. (1999). "Comparative social learning among Arctic herbivores: the caribou, muskox, and Arctic hare". Symposia of the Zoological Society of London. 72: 126–140.
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  22. 1 2 3 4 Yom-Tov, Elad; Yom-Tov, Yoram; Yom-Tov, Shlomith; Andersen, Mogens; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Devasthale, Abhay; Geffen, Eli (2017-04-01). "The complex effects of geography, ambient temperature, and North Atlantic Oscillation on the body size of Arctic hares in Greenland". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 120 (4): 909–918. doi: 10.1093/biolinnean/blw018 . ISSN   0024-4066.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Hacklaender, Klaus (2018). "Lepus arcticus Ross, 1819, Arctic hare". Lagomorphs: 165–168.
  24. ↑ "The Arctic Hare". Canadian Museum of Nature. 2012-02-20. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ukaliq: the Arctic Hare, Eat and Be Eaten Archived 2006-05-10 at the Wayback Machine , Canadian Museum of Nature.
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