Hare is a long-eared mammal with powerful hind legs and a short, fluffy tail. Hares are related to rabbits and are often confused with them. But hares differ from rabbits in several ways. Hares give birth on the ground or in a scratched-out depression called a form. The young are born covered with fur and with their eyes open. Rabbits are born naked and blind in a fur-lined nest. Hares never dig burrows as do many rabbits. In addition, hares usually try to escape from their enemies by leaping away rapidly. Rabbits usually try to hide from enemies. The Belgian hare is really a type of rabbit. The snowshoe rabbit and the jack rabbit are, in fact, hares.
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Most hares are brownish-gray with a pure white belly. Some kinds of hares that live in cold climates turn completely white during the winter. The largest hares grow to nearly 27 inches (69 centimeters) long and can reach a weight of more than 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms).
Hares court and mate in spring. During courtship, they often jump and twist in the air. This behavior may explain the phrase “mad as a March hare.” Young hares are called leverets. There are usually fewer than five leverets in a litter, but there may be as many as seven litters a year.
Hares rest during the day and generally look for food during the night and at dawn. Hares eat plants and can become pests by eating and destroying alfalfa and other farm crops. Hares thump (tap the ground) with their hind legs, which may warn other hares of danger. Their enemies include coyotes, eagles, bobcats, and foxes.
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