A hare of North America’s boreal forests, it changes coat color with the seasons. Its large hind feet help it stay atop the snow.
Its hind feet are large and furred underneath, helping it move over snow. The summer coat is brown, while the winter coat is nearly white.
In the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States, researchers found Snowshoe Hares were more likely to be present and used sites more often where horizontal cover was abundant. Low vegetation that blocks a view across the forest floor was an important feature of the places hares occupied.
Sites used most often tended to have dense canopy and multiple forest layers. Medium-sized trees, 12.7–24.4 centimetres in diameter, and lodgepole pine were also associated with hare use. The researchers assessed both occupancy and intensity of use, comparing tree size and species as well as horizontal cover.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern · Global
The 2019 global IUCN assessment lists the Snowshoe Hare as Least Concern (LC). It was assessed on 2018-06-30.