Last month I spent two weeks at the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, which was held, in New Mexico, at the NRA Whittington Ranch. |
Although I’ve been at the ranch many times, this was the first time that I ever saw more than a few jackrabbits. Jackrabbits are hares not rabbits. The gestation period of a rabbit is 30 days and approximately 40 days for hares. Young rabbits are born hairless, blind and helpless, while hares are born fully furred, able to see and hop around. Hares have larger hind legs and longer ears than rabbits. While cottontail rabbits try to hide from predators, the jackrabbits try to outrun predators, reaching speeds of 40 miles per hour and taking leaps of ten feet or more.
Due to its long ears, the jackrabbit is often referred to as the jackass rabbit. In Mark Twain’s western adventure “Roughing It”, he referred to the hare as a jackass rabbit. Eventually, the name was shortened to jackrabbit. The black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californium), which is also known as the American desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico. The black-tailed is found at elevations from sea level to 10,000 feet. Lepus refers to rabbit and californium means of California.
The jackrabbit’s long ears are a large area of exposed skin loaded with blood vessels. When the temperature is slightly below the rabbit’s body temperature the blood vessels in the ear widen. This lowers the rabbit’s body temperature, which does not have the cooling mechanisms, such as panting or sweating. This is also a water conservation technique given the rabbit’s arid habitat. The jackrabbit gets most of its moisture from the plants it eats.
The other hare found in North America is our snowshoe hare, which is also referred to as the snowshoe rabbit. Another common name is the varying hare due to this mammal changing color twice a year. The name snowshoe describes the animal’s large, furry hind feet, which allow the rabbit to travel easily over deep snow. The species is sometimes referred to as the swamp jackrabbit because of its preferred habitat. The scientific name of the snowshoe hare is Lepus americanus. Lepus means belonging to the rabbit (although it is a hare) and americanus refers to the fact that the hare inhabits North America.
During the summer months, a snowshoe’s fur is gray-brown, darker on the rump and down the middle of the back, with the tail a dark brown above and white below. In October, the pituitary gland located at the base of the brain shuts off pigment production to the new fur, which grows in white. This molt begins on the feet and ears, proceeding upward and toward the rear until the entire pelt is white except for the tips of the ears, which remain black throughout the year. The complete color changeover takes about ten weeks. The white pelt allows the animal to blend in with the snowy background, which protects it from predators.
In the spring, the lengthening days stimulate the reverse effect when another molt begins, with brown hairs replacing the white hairs. Both molts are in response to the amount of light the hare receives in its eyes.
The four toes on each of the snowshoe’s hind feet are large and able to spread far apart. The bottom of these toes and soles are covered with a dense, coarse hair, providing the animal with snowshoes that support the hare in deep snow.
During the day, the snowshoe stays in a small depression in the leaf litter on the ground. This small depression is known as a form and is often found on a small rise, allowing the hare to see any danger approaching. The form, which is either beneath an overhanging branch or in a clump of shrubs, helps to conceal the hare. On a typical day, a hare could have several forms in its home range that covers about four acres; however, an adult male could have a home range of 25 acres and an adult female’s range could cover 19 acres.
Just as most rabbits the snowshoe hair practices coprophagy (eating its own droppings to glean out all the nutrients from the food).
In early March, the breeding season begins. This is when the males start fighting over the females. During courtship, the male chases the female, with both jumping high in the air and then crouching opposite each other and touching noses. If the female is receptive, she stops running and allows the male to mate with her. Several males could mate with one female. After a 36-day gestation period, the female will give birth to on the average of three young leverets.
Although closely related, it’s amazing how the creator has adapted these two hares to survive, one in a cold climate and the other in a hot climate.