Today we will tell you about the most common types of hares. In Russia, the most numerous are the hare and the hare; also found are the Manchurian hare, the tolai, and the cuff hare, which is a cross between the hare and the hare and does not produce offspring. We are interested in the first two types, since they are most valued and most often encountered. Also, these types are often confused, let’s look at their differences.

Types of hares: hare

The brown hare is a large species. It weighs from four to six kilograms; rarely, but still there are individuals whose weight reaches seven kilos. This is a rather long animal, an adult can be up to 68 centimeters. But for all its external bulkiness, the physique remains quite fragile. The brown hare species is characterized by long ears (up to 14 centimeters), by which it is easy to distinguish it from the hare. The tail is also quite large (from 7 to 14 centimeters), wedge-shaped, brown or black in color on the upper side. The paws of the hare are longer than those of the hare, but the feet are shorter and narrower, since it lives in places where the snow cover is not too deep.

Appearance the brown hare is very beautiful all year round. In summer it has a brown, ocher-red, olive-brown, brown, ocher-gray or ocher-brown color. The hare has motley, shiny, crimped fur. The sides are noticeably lighter than the back, and the belly is completely white, without variegation or spots. Around the red-brown eyes of the hare there are light circles, and the ears of this animal remain black all year round. In winter, the hare is a little lighter than in summer, but never completely changes color, as the hare does.

The way of life and habitats of the hare

Various species of hares are found everywhere in all regions, in all territories. The brown hare is an inhabitant of steppes, tundra, and woodlands. He chooses mainly deciduous forests for his life and there he looks for a clearing or burnt area. Very rarely, a hare can be found in a coniferous forest.

These hares love to inhabit areas closer to human settlements and rivers. They choose areas where human lands alternate with sparse plantings, fields, mountains, reservoirs and networks of ravines. They mainly live in thickets of bushes or a small hole adjacent to some tree or pond. Often hares inhabit holes abandoned by foxes, badgers and other animals. In winter, hares dig rookeries in the snow, and these holes can reach a length of two meters. However, not only do hares spend the winter in the steppe; they can lie down in the fall and also dig a shelter in the area adjacent to a person’s house.

IN summer time the mermaids are trying to climb onto greater height, go into the mountains, into high forests. As winter approaches, the hares come back down, trying to get as close to the settlements as possible.

The active time of day for Russians is night. At this time, they are feeding and can go several kilometers from their habitat. During the day, hares sleep in bushes or burrows. In inclement weather, these hares may go without feeding for several days and sit out in a dry and warm shelter.

The hare is excellent at running. It can reach speeds of up to sixty kilometers per hour, moving in long leaps. Browns, like all types of hares, are very quiet animals. The female calls her offspring with quiet sounds; males can chatter their teeth. They also often tap their paws, this is also their type of communication. When wounded or caught, the hare begins to scream very loudly.

Brown hare nutrition and reproduction

In the summer, the hare eats a varied diet. It selects young shoots of trees and shrubs, eats stems and foliage, and can also dig up roots.

The second half of summer dilutes the diet with plant seeds, which the hare distributes, since not everything eaten is digested. He likes to eat dandelions, alfalfa, chicory and other plants. It looks for berries and wild apples, but sometimes it gets into human gardens, causing them colossal harm. The hare also ravages the fields; his favorite delicacies are various cereals, buckwheat, sunflowers, and grain crops.

Unlike the hare, in winter time This hare continues to feed on the remains of grass, winter crops, seeds, and vegetables left by people, which it pulls out of the ground. He will also not deny himself the pleasure of gnawing the bark from pear and apple trees, willow, and aspen.

During the breeding season, a brown hare can bear up to five litters. Each litter contains from one to nine cubs, and they are born already covered with hair, sighted, weighing from one hundred to one hundred and fifty grams. Before giving birth, the hare makes a small nest and covers it with grass. After giving birth, the female leaves and returns only once a day to feed the cubs. Sometimes she comes less often, about once every four days. By the second week of life, the hares begin to get out of the shelter on their own and can eat grass. By four weeks, babies become completely independent and no longer need their mother's help.

The meaning of a hare for a person

Browns, almost like all other types of hares, are quite numerous. They are a valuable animal for fishermen. They are mined for meat and skins, which are used to make fur products and felt.

But the hare is not only useful for humans, but also harmful. It greatly affects the yield, as it is very voracious and, once in the garden, can cause harm to it. The mermaids dig up vegetables, eat berries, and in one night one hare is able to eat the bark of fifteen fruit trees, and after its attack the plant may die or become ill for a long time.

Browns are also carriers of numerous diseases. They are dangerous not only for themselves, but also for people and animals that hunt them - these are wolves, foxes, lynxes and eagles.

White hare: external view

The white hare is smaller in size compared to the hare. Its size reaches from forty-five to sixty-five centimeters, weight ranges from three and a half to five kilograms. The physique of this hare is not as fragile as that of a hare. The ears are also not so long, they are very neat, with black fur at the tips.

The white hare has powerful hind legs, quite long, and short front legs, like all other types of hares. You can see a photo of this animal in our article.

The white hare lives up to its name by changing its fur coat for the winter. In summer it has a reddish-gray color and thanks to it it is perfectly camouflaged. It's not in the summer experienced hunters or ignorant people may call him a hare. In winter, this hare turns snow-white and is almost impossible to notice; only the black tips of the ears and eyes can give it away.

White hare habitats

Unlike the hare, the hare chooses wooded areas, avoids plains and open glades, swamps and too dense forest area. Whites are sedentary animals and do not go very far from their rookery. In winter, they rarely leave the territory at all; only the lack of food can force them to move a long distance, and after that they go into a world full of dangers.

Also, a hare can leave its home and habitable place due to drought or, conversely, flooding of the territory.

White hare nutrition

The hare, like the hare, eats at night. In summer it feeds on grass, various plants, shoots of bushes and trees. In winter, the diet becomes meager, and the white hare cannot eat only the bark of aspens and willows; it looks for the bones of dead animals, antlers shed by elk and deer. Otherwise, it feeds in the same way as all types of hares.

Reproduction

A white hare gives birth to from five to eleven hares per lambing. They, like the Russians, immediately see that they are covered with fur. Unlike hare cubs, white hare can feed on their own by a week, and by two weeks they become independent.

The female gives birth to her offspring on open area and only in winter can it dig a small hole.

The white hare is also a game animal. Its fur and meat are more valuable than the hare, so experienced hunters prefer to hunt this particular species.

Hares are small mammals, widespread on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Like the heroes of many fairy tales, cartoons and songs, they are familiar to all of us. early childhood. A triangular muzzle, long ears, a short tail, fluffy skin - this is the portrait of a hare. But how much do we know about how these animals live in nature? Where they live, what they eat, how they continue their race and escape from numerous enemies, we will tell you in this article.

These are relatively small animals. The length of their slender, slightly laterally compressed body averages 45-65 cm, weight 2.5-4.5 kg (occasionally reaches 7 kg). The hind limbs are elongated, adapted for fast running in open spaces. The ears are long (10-14 cm). The tail is short, but clearly visible from the outside.

The fur is usually thick and soft, only in some species it is coarse and curly (bristly and curly hares). The tail and limbs are completely covered with fur; there is also hair on the ears, but it is shorter and less common. The foot is relatively long and covered with hair.

Fur color varies from white and gray to dark yellow, brown and red-brown. The belly is often covered with lighter or pure white fur. The coloring is usually monochromatic, only 2 species (genus Nesolagus) are striped. The tips of the ears or the top of the tail in many species are black, the lower part of the tail is white.

Many species are characterized by seasonal changes in coat color. Hares living in areas with snowy winter, become white at this time of year, while others change their brownish summer fur to grayish winter fur.

Are hares rodents or not?

Previously, hares (along with rabbits and pikas), as herbivores with gnawing incisors, were classified by zoologists as belonging to the order of rodents. However, in 1912, J. Gidley identified them as an independent order of lagomorphs, Lagomorpha.

Among the characters that distinguish lagomorphs from rodents, the most notable is the presence of a second pair of upper small incisors, known as the “deciduous incisors,” located behind the ever-growing, well-developed front teeth.

How are hares different from rabbits?

The Leporidae family is divided into 2 groups: hares of the genus Lepus and 10 genera of rabbits.

Externally, hares and rabbits are very similar: long ears - distinguishing feature all representatives of the Lagomorpha family, the length of the ears of some representatives can reach 17 cm. The eyes of both are large, adapted for twilight and nocturnal activity. The tail is short and the limbs are strong. In addition, they have a similar specific structure of the incisors.

But if you take a closer look, hares and rabbits have significant differences: the former have a larger physique, more long legs, their ears are also longer. In addition, our heroes change the color of their fur depending on the time of year, and rabbits always wear a coat of the same color.

However, the main differences are not in their appearance, but in the methods they use to protect themselves from predators and in their reproductive strategy. Long-legged hares mainly try to escape from their pursuers, and some of them can reach speeds of over 70 km/h! Rabbits, which have shorter limbs, seek refuge in underground burrows or dense grass.

Hares that do not live in burrows have a longer gestation period, and the cubs are born completely covered with fur, sighted and capable of making coordinated movements; they are more developed and independent. Rabbits are born naked or with sparse fur after a shorter gestation period (27-30 days), and their eyes open only after a few days, i.e. at birth they are completely helpless.

Another difference is that rabbits were domesticated by humans more than 1000 years ago and thrive in captivity, while hares have not been domesticated. These are very difficult animals to keep at home; they are freedom-loving, they need to be constantly on the move. All attempts to make them pets most often end with the animals getting sick and dying.

Types, photos and habitats of hares

The variety of hares is very large. They inhabit a wide variety of biotopes from arctic deserts to true deserts; They live in forests, in open grassy areas, and climb high into the mountains.

In total, today there are more than 30 species of these animals. Below are photos of some of the most famous representatives genus Lepus.

Antelope hare (Lepus alleni)

It is found mainly in Mexico, where it is a common species. In hot deserts, it saves itself from dehydration by eating cacti and yucca. This species has the longest ears - 17 cm!

White hare (Lepus timidus)

This species lives throughout almost the entire territory of Russia with the exception of the south; inhabits the tundra, forest and forest-steppe zones. It differs from its relatives, first of all, in the shape of its tail: in the hare it is round, not wedge-shaped. By winter, he changes his usual reddish-brown outfit to snow-white, only the tips of his ears remain black.

American hare (Lepus americanus)

Lives in Alaska, California, on the shores of Hudson Bay, Dakota, Utah, Michigan. Similar to its counterpart living in Eurasia, but somewhat smaller.

Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)

Its homeland is Greenland and the Canadian Arctic islands. It has perfectly adapted to life in cold climates and can tolerate temperatures of even -30°C without problems.

White-sided hare (Lepus callotis)

Found in Arizona and New Mexico. Endangered.

Cape hare (Lepus capensis)

Lives in northern Africa, Mongolia, and the Middle East.

Tolai (Lepus tolai)

Found from the Caspian Sea and northern Iran east through Afghanistan, Kazakhstan to Mongolia and China. Outwardly similar to a hare, but smaller.

Brown hare (Lepus europaeus)

It lives in Europe south to the north of Iran and Iraq, in Western Siberia, in the south of Scandinavia, in Great Britain. Common in places, but its numbers are declining. This is the largest species. Its body length can reach 74 cm, and its weight often reaches 7 kg.

Manchurian hare (Lepus mandschuricus)

Lives in northeastern China, Korea. In Russia inhabited Far East, Amur Region, Primorsky Territory, south Khabarovsk Territory. Its hind legs and ears are shorter than those of its brothers. The tail is also short, black and brown on top. The fur is quite hard and bristly.

Curly-haired hare (Lepus oiostolus)

It lives in Tibet, Nepal, Kashmir at an altitude of 3000-5000 meters above sea level. Feature type - wavy fur on the back.

Lifestyle

Hares are active all year round and can tolerate both very low and high temperatures. They do not dig complex holes. For recreation, uneven terrain is most often used: depressions in the ground or vegetation. These can be either areas overgrown with bushes, used by several generations, or temporary shelters, occupied for only a few hours. Some species dig underground burrows to escape extreme temperatures. So, the Cape and black-tailed hares do this in order to protect themselves from the heat in the desert, and the hare can dig holes in the snow.

They lead a predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal lifestyle. The hares lie in the den all day and only in the evening begins an active life. They run several kilometers during the night.

Most species are not territorial and move across individual areas, the area of ​​which can be from 4-20 hectares (for the hare) and up to 300 hectares (for the hare). Where food is sufficient, these areas may overlap.

Basically, these are lagomorphs - solitary animals; only hares can be social.

Communication of these animals is based mainly on smells. All species have glands in the groin and under the chin that secrete an odorous secretion. The vocal repertoire includes low grunts and shrill cries made in pain.

Nutrition

Hares are herbivores. In addition to grass, the diet also includes other types of plants depending on the habitat. When there is not enough grass and young shoots, they can eat cultivated plants, branches, tree bark.

Their digestive system adapted to digest large volumes of plant matter. They also eat some of their excrement (this behavior is called coprophagy).

Enemies

The hare has enough enemies. First of all, these are lynxes, foxes, wolves and large predator birds. They are also hunted by stray dogs. People hunt them for fur and meat.

Eyes located on the sides of the head for all-round visibility, huge ears and a sensitive nose help the hare to notice danger in time. Then he relies on his agility.

Hares are champions of sprinting among small mammals. Their long hind limbs allow them to reach speeds of up to 70 km/h.

Continuation of the family line

Hares serve as the main food for many mammals and birds of prey, and they have not become extinct until now only because they are very fertile.

Most species reach sexual maturity early (some as early as 3 months). The gestation period is short - 30-40 days (only for the white hare up to 50 days). The number of cubs in a litter is usually large, and the period between litters is short.

Hares feed their young very a short time, usually less than 5 minutes and only once a day. Their very nutritious milk, high in fat and protein, enters the mouths of babies at high speed. The lactation period lasts 17-23 days.

Interestingly, in lagomorphs that breed outside their burrows, the young scatter to different secluded places within three days after birth, but gather in a specially designated place at a strictly defined time (usually before sunset) in order to receive their portion of milk. The mother arrives about 40 minutes after sunset to feed the children, and then leaves again for the day. At the age of 4-5 weeks, the hares begin to eat vegetation, and the mother stops visiting them.

In the south of their habitat they breed at any time of the year; northern species bring 2-4 litters during spring and summer. There are from 1 to 9 cubs in a litter.

“Mad as a March hare,” they say, hinting at the excited behavior of hares in mating season. During this time, females are able to become pregnant within a few hours of just one day in each six-week cycle. Males fight for their favor, the dominant male strives to leave his rivals with his nose, while the female fights off everyone who approaches her until she is ready to mate. The scratched ears of many males eloquently indicate that the females fight in earnest, fighting off overly persistent admirers. When the hare is ready, a wild chase begins after her until all the pursuers are left far behind, except for one, apparently the most suitable one. Then she finally stops and "surrenders" to the winner.

The reputation of hares has been somewhat tarnished by species such as the brown hare, a known pest of crops and forests. However, people do not always consider the positive role these animals play in ecosystems around the world. Representatives of the family serve as prey for small and medium-sized predators; in addition, they transport spores and plant seeds over long distances.

A rare hare in nature lives up to three years, although in captivity these animals can live on average up to 6-7 years. Many species today are endangered and are listed in the Red Book.

In contact with

Hares are small animals belonging to the genus Hares. These animals, familiar to people since childhood, undeservedly enjoy the fame of weak and cowardly creatures. In fact, the hare is not at all as timid and defenseless as is commonly believed. This is a fairly strong and dexterous animal for its size, quite capable of standing up for itself in the event of a threat.

Description of the hare

Hares belong to the family Lagoraceae, which, in turn, is part of the order Lagomorpha. In addition to hares and rabbits, pikas also belong to this order. Main distinctive features Hares have long ears, a short tail and long hind limbs, thanks to which these animals can move in large leaps.

Appearance

Hares are not distinguished by their large size and powerful build: only some of these animals can reach a length of 65-70 cm and a weight of 7 kg. And their compact body, somewhat flattened on the sides, usually looks quite thin and thin. The main distinguishing feature of all hares is their long ears with a characteristic elongated shape.

Depending on the type, bunny ears may vary in length, but they are never shorter than 1/2 the length of their head. Most of these animals have ears that are pointed at the ends, but there are species of small hares whose ears are rounded at the top. The hare's head appears small in relation to the body, and its outline resembles an oval tapering towards one end. The lip, divided into two halves by a deep groove, has a characteristic rounded shape.

This is interesting! The teeth of lagomorphs are similar to the teeth of rodents. The difference between these two orders in the structure of the teeth is that hares, rabbits and pikas have not one pair of incisors on the upper jaw, but two, and the back pair is less developed than the front.

Another similarity between the animals of these two orders is that, like rodents, the teeth of hares are constantly growing and need to be regularly ground down, which is why these animals try to eat solid food.

In large hares, the hind limbs are 25-35% longer than the front ones, while in small species the front and hind limbs are almost equal in length. These animals have five toes on their front paws and 4-5 on their hind paws. The feet are quite long, with soles covered with thick hair and almost straight sharp claws, which hares need for protection from predators and for digging out snow and topsoil in winter, when they have to feed on various roots.

The tail of almost all hares is very short and fluffy, shaped like a pompom, but due to its small sizes almost invisible from some angles. The fur of most species of lagomorphs is thick and soft, and it covers almost the entire body of the animal: a narrow strip of fur grows even on the inner surface of the lip. The color of hares is varied: grayish, brownish, sandy or brownish. In many species, the fur color changes to white in winter, which helps the animals hide from predators more successfully.

Behavior and lifestyle

Hares are terrestrial animals; they cannot swim well or climb trees or rocks. Some species of lagomorphs create colonies, while others prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle. These animals do not go into suspended animation with the onset of cold weather: they remain active all year round.

During the day, hares, as a rule, prefer to lie down in depressions in the soil overgrown with thick grass or in dense bushes, and at dusk and at night they go out in search of food. In winter, when there is no grass, they often hide in a shallow hole they have dug under freshly fallen snow that has not yet had time to compact. These animals move in large leaps, and their speed can reach 70 km/h.

Their eyesight is poor, however, this deficiency is fully compensated by their well-developed hearing and sense of smell.. Hares are cautious animals, but if danger approaches, they often choose a wait-and-see tactic: they hide in the grass or in the snow and wait to see what the potential enemy will do next. And only when the stranger approaches at a very close distance does the animal jump up from its resting place and rush away.

This is interesting! When a hare runs away from its pursuer, it confuses its tracks: it loops, jumps sharply to the side, and can even run some distance along its own tracks.

It is precisely because this animal has a habit of jumping out from under the feet of an unsuspecting person simply passing by and rushing away from him as quickly as possible that people consider hares to be cowardly animals. Although, in fact, such behavior can hardly be called timid; rather, it is caution and reluctance to get involved with a possible predator.

The fact that the hare is far from a cowardly creature is evidenced by the fact that when the enemy nevertheless overtakes it and tries to grab it, this seemingly harmless animal can quite successfully defend itself. To do this, he lies on his back and hits the pursuer with strong and muscular hind legs, equipped with long and sharp claws. Moreover, the strength and accuracy of these blows is often such that an annoying stranger who does not want to leave the hare alone often receives mortal wounds. It is not for nothing that not a single professional hunter will pick up a live hare by the ears: after all, in this way the animal can twist and hit it with its hind limbs.

How long does a hare live?

The average lifespan of hares in their natural environment habitat is 6-8 years. However, many animals die much earlier, ending their days in the teeth or claws of numerous predators, as well as being shot by hunters. Especially many small hares die, which are very easy prey even for small carnivores and omnivores. In captivity, hares often live up to 10 or even 12 years.

Sexual dimorphism

Female hares do not differ from males in fur color, and their build is almost the same. The main difference between hares of different sexes is in size: females are usually smaller, and hares have a more rounded head, while in males it is usually somewhat elongated and laterally flattened.

Types of hares

There are more than thirty species of hares in the world, differing in size.

Features of structure, behavior and lifestyle:

• Antelope hare.
• American hare.
• Arctic hare.
• Alaskan hare
• Black-tailed hare.
• White-sided hare.
• Cape hare.
• Yellowish hare.
• Black-brown hare.
• Bush hare.
• Sandstone hare.
• Tolai hare.
• Broom hare.
• Yunnan hare.
• Korean hare.
• Corsican hare.
• Iberian hare.
• Manchurian hare.
• Curly hare.
• Stark's hare.
• White-tailed hare.
• Ethiopian hare.
• Hainan hare.
• Dark-necked hare.
• Burmese hare.
• Chinese hare.
• Yarkand hare.
• Japanese hare.
• Abyssinian hare.

This is interesting! Also included in this family is the Don hare, which in the late Pleistocene lived in the territory of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, but has long since become extinct. It was a fairly large animal for lagomorphs with well-developed chewing muscles, which, according to the results of genetic studies, was the closest relative of the modern one.

Range, habitats

These animals live everywhere except Australia and Antarctica. Even in the Arctic and Alaska you can see the Arctic hare and Alaskan hare living there. At the same time, on the territory of Russia there are the following types: hare, hare, Manchurian hares and tolai hares. Depending on what species hares belong to, they can live in a wide variety of climatic zones: arctic tundra to humid tropical forests or, conversely, arid deserts and semi-deserts. These animals live both on the plain and in the mountains, at an altitude not exceeding 4900 m.

Some of these animals, such as the mountain hare, prefer to live in forests, while other lagomorphs inhabit exclusively open spaces, such as steppes or semi-deserts. Some species, especially those that live in arid climates or highlands, occupy empty burrows dug by other animals, despite the fact that the hares themselves, unlike their closest relatives, rabbits, never dig burrows. Most species of hares are sedentary animals, but in the cold season, during periods of lack of food, they can migrate to short distances in search of food.

Hares diet

The basis of the hare's diet is low-calorie plant foods, such as tree bark and branches, leaves, and herbaceous plants. Hares that live in temperate areas are especially fond of climatic zone, clover, dandelions, sedge, yarrow and alfalfa. IN warm time year, these animals are not averse to snacking on blueberry shoots and berries, mushrooms, as well as the fruits of wild apples and wild pears.

This is interesting! Hares often make predatory raids on agricultural fields and gardens, where they gnaw the bark of fruit trees and eat vegetables such as cabbage, parsley, turnips, carrots and other garden plants.

In the fall, as a rule, they switch to eating tree bark and small succulent twigs, and in winter, during the period of lack of food, they dig out various roots and dry grass from under the snow.

Reproduction and offspring

Depending on their habitat, hares produce offspring from one to four times in year. Species living in the North manage to breed only one brood of hares during the summer, while southern species can reproduce much more often. Their first rut begins at the end of winter or early spring.

At the same time, there are often fights between males competing for the attention of the same hare: rivals jump at each other, trying to push the enemy aside, hitting him with their hind paws, and sometimes, rising to their full height, boxing with their front paws. The winner, having achieved the attention of the female, begins to jump around her, as if inviting her to run a race with him.

At the same time, a hare couple is sometimes so carried away by mutual courtship of each other that they do not notice anything around, even the approach of predators. Pregnancy in hares lasts from 26 to 55 days, after which several cubs are born, the number of which varies depending on the species and living conditions. Usually, the female gives birth to from 1 to 11 babies.

This is interesting! In species of hares that live in burrows or other natural shelters, the offspring are born without hair or covered with fur, but are blind, while in hares living on the surface of the earth, females give birth to furred and sighted cubs.

At birth, the latter are noticeably superior in growth and development to their newborn “relatives” born in burrows: literally in the very first hours of their lives they can move independently and hide in the grass. Depending on the time of birth of the cubs, they are called differently.

So, the hares from the first litter are called nastoviks, those born in the summer are called herbalists or letniks, and those born closer to autumn are called deciduous ones. Previously, it was believed that the hare was a bad mother and that she did not care about her cubs at all: she would feed them milk immediately after giving birth and run away.

True, the bunnies do not die of hunger at all: they are fed by other bunnies who are nearby. But at present, not all zoologists share this opinion: some scientists believe that the mother hare does not abandon her cubs, but is constantly near them. True, in case of a threat, she will not protect them, but will prefer to flee. At first, the female feeds her hares with milk, and later they completely switch to plant foods. These animals, depending on their species, reach sexual maturity at the age of ten weeks to two years.

"Maastricht Book of Hours". First quarter of the 14th century. Netherlands, Liege / British Library Stowe MS 17, 127v. 1st quarter of the 14th century, Book of Hours, Use of Maastricht /"The Maastricht Hours".

Teeth as strong as envy
Don't catch the powerful paws!
Bloodthirsty predator hare
He walks and wanders along the chain.

2.


Gorleston Psalter, England 14th century. British Library, Add 49622, fol. 13v

Thick-throated, steep-horned,
Dead grip - vice.
Everything alive along the way
Tears into pieces.

3.

"Maastricht Book of Hours". First quarter of the 14th century. Netherlands, Liege / British Library Stowe MS 17, f.92v. 1st quarter of the 14th century, Book of Hours, Use of Maastricht /"The Maastricht Hours".

The young tigers are wasting away -
The hare doesn't let up.
At night in a cast iron cage
Sings a wild song.

4.


Summer volume of the Breviary of Renaud/Marguerite de Bar, Metz ca. 1302-1305. Verdun, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 107, fol. 89r

And when the lion cub is born,
His mother instructs:
“Be the bravest of all from the cradle,
Fear one hare!

5.

Around 1300-1340. "Smithfield Decretals". Decretals of Gregory IX. Compiled by Raymund of Peñafort. The manuscript includes the generally accepted glosses of Bernard of Parma (Bernardo di Botone), created in 1241-1266. British Library / C 1300-c 1340. The "Smithfield Decretals". The Decretals of Gregory IX, edited by Raymund of Penyafort (or Peñafort); with the glossa ordinaria of Bernard of Parma in the margin. Origin: France, S. (Toulouse?). Detail of a painting of a seated rabbit with a scroll in its mouth. Royal 10 E IV, f. 40v. The British Library.

He has a mighty blow,
Poisonous saliva
He is more terrible than a rattlesnake,
Worse than a wild elephant!

6.


Le livre de Lancelot du Lac, France 13th century. Beinecke, MS 229, fol. 94v

This poem is from the children's book "Bestiary" with verses by Alexey Tsvetkov, to which writers Leah Lyubomirskaya and Linor Goralik wrote comments about animals in the Bible and in modern Israel.

About the hare from the 2014 Bestiary:

7.


Roman d'Alexandre, Tournai ca. 1338-1344. Bodleian Library, MS. Bodl. 264, fol. 94v

Bible Commentaries

The hare in the Bible is an extremely mysterious creature. “Do not eat,” it is written there, “camel, hare and jerboa, because although they chew the cud, their hooves are not cloven: they are unclean for you.” And here, of course, you may be amazed: where are the hare’s hooves? And what kind of gum is he chewing? Did the tourists lose this gum in the forest? But in fact, the whole problem here is in translation.

8.


Book of hours, France ca. 1280-1290. Marseille, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 111, fol. 136r

The point is simply that the hare, although a herbivore, is not a cloven-hoofed animal, and, according to biblical laws, such animals cannot be eaten. As for chewing gum, watch the hare: he moves his nose so funny, as if he really was chewing something all the time.

9.


Summer volume of the Breviary of Renaud/Marguerite de Bar, Metz ca. 1302-1305. Verdun, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 107, fol. 96v

Israel

In Israel, hares as such are not found, but their closest relatives, rabbits, are a dime a dozen: domestic rabbits live in their homes, wild ones gallop in the wild. And the inedible animal, called in the Bible by the word "shafan" (this word in Hebrew means "rabbit"), is most likely a funny round animal that looks like a teddy bear - the rock hyrax.

10.


Rocky hyrax. Photo by Peter Rogov

Hyraxes still live in Israel and feel very good there. For example, if you go for a walk in the huge Ein Gedi park, a plump hyrax may crawl out from behind a stone to meet you.

The hyrax looks like a rodent. But in fact, these strange furry animals are close relatives... of the elephant.

11.

"Maastricht Book of Hours". First quarter of the 14th century. Netherlands, Liege / Book of Hours, Use of Maastricht /‘The Maastricht Hours’. 1st quarter of the 14th century, British Library, Stowe 17, detail of f. 240v

Text:
Bestiary: poems and stories about terrible and amazing animals. Alexey Tsvetkov with the participation of Leah Lyubomirskaya and Linor Goralik; illustrations by M. Rudskaya. - M.: Knizhniki; Text, 2014. - (Keshet/Rainbow). P.60-63.

The pictures in this post have nothing to do with this book.

There are 32 species of hares on our planet. All these animals have a similar structure and appearance and are combined into one genus, Hares. All hares have long ears, thick fluffy fur, strong hind legs and a short tail. Hares have no fangs at all, but they do have large incisor teeth that grow throughout their lives and can quickly wear out. In our latitudes, the most famous are the brown hare and the white hare.

Brown hare

Black-tailed hare

Spreading

Hares live on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. These animals can be found in forests, steppes, deserts, jungles and savannas. Each type of hare is adapted to its own living conditions. For example, in the black-tailed hare living in desert areas North America, the ears are huge, and the color is grayish-brown. Such overly large ears help to cool down in the heat, and the color makes the hare invisible on sandy soil.

Behavior

In nature, hares have a lot of enemies. They are hunted by wolves, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, birds of prey and humans. To escape, hares need to be able to run very fast. In moments of danger, a hare can reach speeds of 50 to 70 km/h. When running away, a hare can confuse its tracks and thereby confuse its pursuers. Before going to bed, the hare can make a circle and then jump sharply to the side - such a maneuver confuses predators and forces them to walk in a circle in search of prey.

There are very few sebaceous glands on the hare's body, so these animals have almost no odor. This helps the hare hide from predators and remain undetected for a long time.

Hare tracks

Nutrition

Hares are animals that eat only plant foods. In summer, their menu consists almost entirely of succulent grass, and in winter they have to be content with coarser food - tree bark and branches.

White hare eats a branch

Reproduction

Hares are very prolific animals. They give birth several times a year. To find a mate, males start fights - they stand opposite each other and hit each other with their front paws. The hare that turns out to be more dexterous will receive the favor of the female.

Hares do not dig holes. The female chooses a secluded place somewhere under a bush and gives birth to several babies, usually from 2 to 4. The babies are born dressed in wool and with open eyes. The mother hare does not stay with them for long - only a few days, and then runs away, leaving the bunnies on their own. The little bunnies hide in the place where their mother left them and wait for some hare to come running and feed them. It is customary for hares to feed their offspring this way. All the bunnies give birth to babies at the same time, and then each one feeds the babies she meets in the forest.

Little hares have no smell at all, therefore, sitting still, they remain invisible to forest predators, and many have a chance to grow up and become adult hares.

Newborn bunnies

The curly-haired hare lives in China and India - its fur is wavy.

Hares are frequent characters in fairy tales among peoples of different countries.

Monuments to hares have been erected in St. Petersburg and in the village of Mikhailovskoye.

Monument to the hare in St. Petersburg

Brief information about hares.