Types of hares, features, habitat

Today we will tell you about the most common types of hares. In Russia, the most numerous are the hare and the white dog, there is also the Manchu hare, the Tolai, the hare-hare, which is a cross between a hare and a white dog and does not bring offspring. We are interested in the first two species, because they are most valued and most often are found. Also, these species are often confused, consider their differences.

Types of hares: a hare

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

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

The way of life and habitat of a hare

Varied types of hares are found everywhere in all areas, in any territories. Hare-hare is an inhabitant of steppes, tundra, woodlands. He chooses mostly deciduous forests for his life and there he is looking for a clearing or fumes. Very rarely a hare is found in a coniferous forest.

These hares like to populate areas closer to human settlements, rivers. They choose areas where the man's lands alternate with rare plantings, fields, mountains, ponds and ravine networks. They mostly live in thickets of shrubs or a small hole adjacent to some tree, pond. Often, hares are inhabited by foxes, badgers and other animal burrows. In winter, hares dig rookeries in the snow, and these holes can reach a length of two meters. However, not only in the steppe winter hare, they can lie down in the haystacks from autumn , and also dig a shelter in the territory adjacent to the man's house.

In the summer, haremakers try to climb to great heights, go to the mountains, to high forests. Closer to winter, the hares descend back, trying to get as close to the settlements as possible.

The active time of day for the hare is night. At this time they are engaged in feeding and can go for several kilometers from their habitat. In the afternoon, the Rusak sleep in bushes or burrows. In inclement weather these rabbits can not feed for several days, sit out in a dry and warm shelter.

Running a hare is adapted perfectly. He can develop speeds of up to sixty kilometers per hour, moving long jumps. Rusaks, like all kinds of hares, are very quiet animals. The female calls her offspring in soft sounds, the males can pound their teeth. Also they often tap their paws, this is also their kind of communication. Being wounded or caught, the hare begins to scream very loudly.

Nutrition and reproduction of the hare

In the summer, a hare feeds diversely. He chooses young shoots of trees and shrubs, eats stems and foliage, can dig up and roots.

The second half of the summer dilutes the diet with plant seeds, which the hare spreads, since not all the eaten is digested. He likes to eat dandelions, alfalfa, chicory and other plants. He is looking for berries, wild apples, but sometimes he gets into the gardens of the person, causing them enormous harm. Also, a Russian hound ravages fields, his favorite delicacies are various cereals, buckwheat, sunflowers, cereals.

In contrast to the white fowl, in winter, this hare continues to eat the remains of grass, winter crops, seeds, vegetables left by people who tear out from the ground. Also, he will not deny himself the pleasure of swallowing the bark from a pear and apple, willow, aspen.

In the breeding season, the rabbit hare can bring up to five broods. In each brood there are from one to nine cubs, and they are born already covered with hair, seeing, weighing from one hundred to one hundred and fifty grams. Before birth, the rabbit suits a small nest, spreads it with grass. Having given birth, the female leaves and only once a day comes back to feed the cubs. It happens, it comes less often, about once in four days. By the second week of life bunnies start to get out of the shelter independently, they can eat grass. By four weeks, the children are completely independent and no longer need the help of the mother.

The value of a hare for man

Rusaks, almost like all other kinds of hares, are quite numerous. They are a valuable animal for fishermen. They are mined for the sake of meat and skins, which go to the manufacture of fur products, felt.

But a hare is not only useful to man, but also harmful. He strongly influences the yield, because he is very greedy and, hitting the garden, can do him harm. Rusaky digs vegetables, eats berries, and overnight one hare is able to eat bark from fifteen fruit trees, and after its attack the plant may die or permanently fall ill.

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

Hare-hare: a kind of external

Belyak has smaller sizes in comparison with a hare. Its size reaches from forty-five to sixty-five centimeters, the weight varies from three and a half to five kilograms. The constitution of this rabbit is not as fragile as that of a hare. Ears are also not so long, they are very neat, on the tips there is black fur.

Hare-hare has powerful hind legs, rather long, and short front, like all other kinds of hares. You can see a photo of this animal in our article.

The name of the hare-rabbit justifies, replacing the winter coat with a fur coat. In the summer it has a reddish-gray color and thanks to it it perfectly masks. In summer, inexperienced hunters or ignorant people can call it a hare. In winter, this hare becomes snow-white, and it is almost impossible to notice, only black tips of ears and eyes can give out.

Habitat habitat

Unlike the hare, the whitefish choose wooded terrain, avoiding plains and open glades, marshes and too dense forest massif. Belyaki - sedentary animals and from the place of their rookery do not go very far. In winter, they rarely leave the territory, forcing them to depart for a long distance can only lack of food, after it they go to a world full of dangers.

Also, from a settled and inhabited place a whitefish can leave because of a drought or, conversely, the flooding of the territory.

Nutrition

He eats a whore, as well as a hare, at night. It feeds on grass in summer, various plants, shoots of shrubs and trees. In winter, the diet becomes poor, and the hare can not feed only on bark of aspen and willows, it looks for bones of dead animals, horns dropped by elks, deer. Otherwise, it eats the same as all kinds of hares.

Reproduction

A hare hare for one lamb is born from five to eleven will borrow. They, just like the hare, immediately see, covered with fur. Unlike the cubs of the hare, whites can eat independently by the week, and become independent by two weeks.

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

The hare is also a game beast. His fur and meat are more valued than the hare, so experienced hunters prefer to hunt for this species.