Arctic hare

The Arctic hare is named for the region in which it was first discovered, the Arctic tundra. Its generic name, Lepus, is borrowed from Latin and refers to hares, rabbits (as inferred from the earlier Hellenistic Greek (levirís), rabbit), and the constellation of the same name. The specific name, arcticus, is also borrowed from Latin, and is more directly derived from the Greek (arktikos), "near the Bear, northern". In the Cree language, the Arctic hare is named , coming from the words for "large", , and "rabbit", . ==Taxonomy==

Arctic explorer John Ross described the Arctic hare in 1819. ==Description==

The Arctic hare is one of the largest living lagomorphs. Typically, this species measures from long, not counting a tail length of . The body mass of this species is typically between , though large individuals can weigh up to . Subspecies There are four subspecies of this hare: • Lepus arcticus arcticus • Lepus arcticus bangsii • Lepus arcticus groenlandicus • Lepus arcticus monstrabilis ==Distribution and habitat==

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. 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. This seasonal moulting also enables other Arctic animals, including ermine and ptarmigan, to remain camouflaged as the environment changes. However, the Arctic hares in the far north of Canada, where summer is very short, remain white all year round. Fossil record and history Arctic hare fossils are rare prior to the Holocene epoch, with fossils from the Last Glacial Period found in North America (Wisconsin glaciation) and Europe (Würm glaciation) and no fossils from before the Holocene found in Russia.{{Cite journal|url=https://web.corral.tacc.utexas.edu/UAF/arctos/2012_01_20/Waltari_and_Cook_2005_Phylogeography_and_historical_demographics_of_Lepus_arcticus_othus_and_timidus.pdf |journal=Molecular Ecology |date=2005 |volume=14 |pages=3005–3016 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02625.x ==Feeding==

The Arctic hare is a herbivore, specifically a folivore. Arctic hares feed primarily on woody plants, with arctic willow constituting 95% of their diet year-round. Arctic hare diets are more diverse in summer. Although previously believed to still be primarily willow, dryas, and grasses, recent studies show that their diet becomes dominated by legumes, constituting 70% of their diet in the summer. Arctic hares have been reported to occasionally eat meat, including fish and the stomach contents of eviscerated caribou. They eat snow to get water. == Physiology ==

The Arctic hare has many physiological features that are adaptive to its extreme environment. Despite a 17% - 38% lower than expected basal metabolic rate, the Arctic hare is able to maintain a body temperature comparable to other lagomorphs (38.9 degrees C) because of its low surface area to volume ratio and high insulation. The lowered metabolic rate also allows the Arctic hare to save energy, making it adaptive for its cold and barren habitat. The white fur of Arctic hares, in addition to their camouflage benefits in the winter, have a high reflectance which may prevent excessive heat gain during the day. When resting, Arctic hares maintain a nearly spherical shape and typically stay in groups, but do not huddle. The opposite is true at higher latitudes in which Arctic hares had smaller body sizes with increased temperature. This trend is again linked to food plant availability. In this case, decreased precipitation and increased temperatures in the higher latitudes of Greenland result in a lower food plant availability to contribute to body mass. ==Reproduction and lifespan==

, Canada Breeding season occurs around April or May. Gestation period of the Arctic hare is 53 days, so the babies are born around May, June, or July. Young Arctic hares are almost full size by late July (some weeks after birth) and breed for the first time after a year of age. There is little information on the lifespan of Arctic hares. Some anecdotal evidence suggests they live three to five years in the wild. Arctic hares do not fare well in captivity, living only a year and a half at most. ==Predators==

Known predators of the Arctic hare are the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Wolf (Canis lupus), Lynx (Lynx canadensis), Ermine (Mustela erminea), Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), Rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus) and occasionally humans. The Arctic wolf is probably the most successful predator of the Arctic hare, and even young wolves in their first autumn can catch adult hares. Four groups of parasites have been known to use Arctic hares as a host: protozoans (Eimeria exigua, Eimeria magna, Eimeria perforans, and Eimeria sculpta); nematodes (including Filaria and Oxyuris ambigua); lice (including Haemodipsus lyriocephalus and Haemodipsus setoni) and fleas (including Euhoplopsyllus glacialis and Megabothris groenlandicus). Fleas are more common than parasitic worms. ==References==