Arctic hares feed primarily on woody plants, with arctic willow constituting 95% of their diet year-round. ![]() The Arctic hare is a herbivore, specifically a folivore. However, the Arctic hares in the far north of Canada, where summer is very short, remain white all year round. This seasonal moulting also enables other Arctic animals, including ermine and ptarmigan, to remain camouflaged as the environment changes. In Newfoundland and Southern Labrador, the Arctic hare changes its coat color, moulting and growing new fur, from brown or grey in the summer to white in the winter. The Arctic hare may be found at elevations from sea level to 900 m (3,000 ft). The Arctic hare is well adapted to conditions found in the tundras, plateaus, and treeless coasts of this region, including cold weather and frozen precipitation. The Arctic hare is distributed over the northernmost regions of Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands and Northern Canada, including Ellesmere Island, and farther south in Labrador and Newfoundland. The body mass of this species is typically between 2.5–5.5 kg (6–12 lb), though large individuals can weigh up to 7 kg (15 lb). Typically, this species measures from 43 to 70 cm (17 to 28 in) long, not counting a tail length of 4.5 to 10 cm (1.8 to 3.9 in). The Arctic hare is one of the largest living lagomorphs. ![]() ( January 2022)Īrctic explorer John Ross described the Arctic hare in 1819.
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