Brown Hare
Featured in: Year 1: Seasonal changes
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Brown Hare
Mammal
A fast-running mammal, much bigger than a rabbit, with long, black-tipped ears.
Seasonal Behaviour:
If you are very lucky in spring, you might see hares 'boxing' in a field. They stand up on their back legs and hit each other with their front paws. It looks like they are having a fight, but it is usually a female hare telling a male hare to leave her alone!
💡 Fun Facts
- Hares are one of the fastest animals in the UK and can run at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.
- A baby hare is called a 'leveret', and unlike a baby rabbit, it is born with all its fur and its eyes wide open.
- Hares don't live in burrows underground; they make a small nest in the long grass called a 'form'.
📅 Through the Year
- Breeding:February to September
Name Story
Lepus europaeus
means “the European hare”
What does its name mean?
- Lepus — hareLatin
- europaeus — European, of EuropeLatin
Its name simply means 'the European hare'. 'Lepus' is the old Latin word for a hare, and 'europaeus' tells you where this one lives — right across Europe.