The Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Its feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from freezing temperatures.

For camouflage, its fur turns white during the winter and rusty brown during the summer. Its flanks are white year-round. The snowshoe hare is also distinguishable by the black tufts of fur on the edge of its ears. Its ears are shorter than those of most other hares.

In summer, it feeds on plants such as grass, ferns, and leaves; in winter, it eats twigs, the bark from trees, and plants and, similar to the Arctic hare, has been known to occasionally eat dead animals. It can sometimes be seen feeding in small groups. This animal is mainly active at night and does not hibernate. The snowshoe hare may have up to four litters in a year, which average three to eight young. Males compete for females, and females may breed with several males.

A major predator of the snowshoe hare is the Canada lynx. Historical records of animals caught by fur hunters over hundreds of years show the lynx and hare numbers rising and falling in a cycle, which has made the hare known to biology students worldwide as a case study of the relationship between numbers of predators and their prey.

Snowshoe hares occur from Newfoundland to Alaska; south in the Sierra Nevada to central California; in the Rocky Mountains to southern Utah and northern New Mexico; and in the Appalachian Mountains to West Virginia. Populations in its southern range, such as in Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia have been extirpated. Locations of subspecies are as follows:

• Lepus americanus americanus (Erxleben) – Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Montana, and North Dakota

• L. a. cascadensis (Nelson) – British Columbia and Washington

• L. a. columbiensis (Rhoads) – British Columbia, Alberta, and Washington

• L. a. dalli (Merriam) – Mackenzie District, British Columbia, Alaska, Yukon

• L. a. klamathensis (Merriam) – Oregon and California

• L. a. oregonus (Orr) – Oregon

• L. a. pallidus (Cowan) – British Columbia

• L. a. phaeonotus (J. A. Allen) – Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota

• L. a. pineus (Dalquest) – British Columbia, Idaho, and Washington

• L. a. seclusus (Baker and Hankins) – Wyoming

• L. a. struthopus (Bangs) – Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Maine

• L. a. tahoensis (Orr) – California, western Nevada

• L. a. virginianus (Harlan) – Ontario, Quebec, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania

• L. a. washingtonii (Baird) – British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon

 Canada Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus cascadensis) - Olympic Peninsula Washington

The Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), also known as the American desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico, where it is found at elevations from sea level up to 10,000 ft (3,000 m). Reaching a length around 2 ft (61 cm), and a weight from 3 to 6 lb (1.4 to 2.7 kg), the black-tailed jackrabbit is one of the largest North American hares. Black-tailed jackrabbits occupy mixed shrub-grassland terrains. Their breeding depends on the location; it typically peaks in spring, but may continue all year round in warm climates. Young are born fully furred with eyes open; they are well camouflaged and are mobile within minutes of birth, thus females do not protect or even stay with the young except during nursing. The average litter size is around four, but may be as low as two and as high as seven in warm regions.

The black-tailed jackrabbit does not migrate or hibernate during winter and uses the same habitat of 0.4 to 1.2 mi2 (1–3 km2) year-round. Its diet is composed of various shrubs, small trees, grasses, and forbs. Shrubs generally comprise the bulk of fall and winter diets, while grasses and forbs are used in spring and early summer, but the pattern and plant species vary with climate. The black-tailed jackrabbit is an important prey species for raptors and carnivorous mammals, such as eagles, hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, and wild cats. The hares host many ectoparasites including fleas, ticks, lice, and mites; for this reason, hunters often avoid collecting them.

Like other jackrabbits, the black-tailed jackrabbit has distinctive long ears, and the long powerful rear legs characteristic of hares. Reaching a length about 2 ft (61 cm), and a weight from 3 to 6 lb (1.4 to 2.7 kg), the black-tailed jackrabbit is the third-largest North American jackrabbit, after the antelope jackrabbit and the white-tailed jackrabbit. Additionally, the much more northerly Arctic hare and Alaskan hare are somewhat larger than the jackrabbit members of the hare genus. The black-tailed jackrabbit's dorsal fur is agouti (dark buff peppered with black), and its undersides and the insides of its legs are creamy white. The ears are black-tipped on the outer surfaces, and unpigmented inside. The ventral surface of the tail is grey to white, and the black dorsal surface of the tail continues up the spine for a few inches to form a short, black stripe. The females are larger than males, with no other significant differences.

Although 17 subspecies are recognized, this number may be excessive. Using cluster analysis of anatomical characters, Dixon and others found that black-tailed jackrabbit subspecies separated into two distinct groups that are geographically separated west and east of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River. They suggested only two infrataxa are warranted: the western subspecies L. c. californicus and the eastern subspecies L. c. texianus.

The black-tailed jackrabbit is the most widely distributed jackrabbit (Lepus species) in North America. Native black-tailed jackrabbit populations occur from central Washington east to Missouri and south to Baja California Sur and Zacatecas. Black-tailed jackrabbit distribution is currently expanding eastward in the Great Plains at the expense of white-tailed jackrabbit. The black-tailed jackrabbit has been successfully introduced in southern Florida and along the coastline in Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia.

Six subspecies of L. californicus are in the Baja California Peninsula, three of which are endemic to the surrounding islands. The current distribution is a result of sea-level rise about 21,000 years ago, after the last glacial maximum. Due to this geographic isolation, the current subspecies of L. californicus living on the peninsula can be separated into three subclades based on similar DNA structure and pelage color. The first clade is associated with subspecies L. c. xanti, and contains all subspecies found in the southernmost part of the Baja Peninsula; it has a yellowish color pattern. The second clade is associated with subspecies L. c. magdalenae, and includes all subspecies found between the La Paz isthmus and the southern Vixcaino Desert, including subspecies L. c. xanti, L. c. sheldoni, and L. c. martirensis. This clade has a coloration pattern range of light brown to yellow. The third clade is associated with subspecies L. c. martirensis, and includes all subspecies found from the Viscaino Desert to the northernmost part of the peninsula.

Distribution of subspecies occurring entirely or partially in the United States is:

• L. c. altamirae (Nelson)

• L. c. asellus (G. S. Miller)

• L. c. bennettii (Gray) – coastal southern California to Baja California Norte

• L. c. californicus (Gray) – coastal Oregon to coastal and Central Valley California

• L. c. curti (E. R. Hall)

• L. c. deserticola (Mearns) – southern Idaho to Sonora

• L. c. ememicus (J. A. Allen) – central Arizona to Sonora

• L. c. festinus (Nelson)

• L. c. magdalenae (Nelson)

• L. c. martirensis (J. M. Stowell)

• L. c. melanotis (Mearns) – South Dakota to Iowa, Missouri, and central Texas

• L. c. merriamai (Mearns) – south-central and southeastern Texas to Tamaulipas

• L. c. richardsonii (Bachman) – central California

• L. c. sheldoni (W. H. Burt)

• L. c. texianus (Waterhouse) – southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado to Zacatecas

• L. c. wallawalla (Merriam) – eastern Washington to northeastern California and northwestern Nevada

• L. c. xanti (Thomas)

Desert Black-tailed Jack Rabbit (Lepus californicus deserticola) - Southern California Los Padres National Forest

Bennett’s Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus bennetti) - Carrizo Plain San Joaquin Valley California

Emmett’s Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus emmetti) - Joshua Tree National Park (scanned slides)

Peninsular Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus magdalenae) - Baja California

Texas Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus texianus) - Las Cruces New Mexico north of El Paso

 The Cape hare (Lepus capensis), also called the desert hare, is a hare native to Africa and Arabia extending into India.

The Cape hare was one of the many mammal species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, where it was given the binomial name of Lepus capensis.

The taxon is part of a species complex. Lepus tolai and Lepus tibetanus were moved out based on geographic distribution and molecular characteristics. The current remaining grouping of Lepus capensis sensu lato remains paraphyletic.

The Cape hare is a typical hare, with well-developed legs for leaping and running, and large eyes and ears to look for threats from its environment. Usually, a white ring surrounds the eye. It has a fine, soft coat which varies in colour from light brown to reddish to sandy grey. Unusually among mammals, the female is larger than the male, an example of sexual dimorphism.

The Cape hare inhabits macchia-type vegetation, grassland, bushveld, the Sahara Desert and semi-desert areas. It is also common in parts of the Ethiopian highlands, such as Degua Tembien.

Cape Hare (Lepus capensis) - seen in man locations in Africa

 The Abyssinian Hare (Lepus habessinicus) is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is almost entirely restricted to the nations of the Horn of Africa, though it extends marginally into eastern Sudan and may also occur in far northern Kenya.

It has been suggested it should be considered conspecific with the Cape hare (L. capensis), but is considered a separate species based on (presumed) sympatry in their distributions.

The Abyssinian hare resembles other hares in its general appearance, long limbs and large ears. It grows to a head-and-body length of between 40 and 55 cm (16 and 22 in). The fur is soft and dense. The upper parts are a grizzled silvery grey, with some black on the shoulder, back and rump. The hairs on the back are about 2 cm (0.8 in) long and have greyish-white shafts, then a black band topped by a white or pale buff band, and often a black tip. The flanks are paler, the individual hairs having white shafts. The underparts are white, the fur being less dense than on the back. A thin cinnamon band separates the flanks from the underparts. The chin is whitish, and some individuals have whitish eyerings. The ears are very large, silvery-brown externally and whitish-buff inside. There is a black margin round the tips of the ears and a white fringe round the lower parts of the margin. The tail is 8.5 cm (3.3 in) long, black above and white below.

The Abyssinian hare is endemic to the Horn of Africa, being present in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. It occurs in savannah, grassland and steppe, as well as desert and semi-arid conditions where some scrubby vegetation is present to provide cover. It occurs to altitudes of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft), and even higher in Ethiopia.

Abyssinian Hare (Lepus habessinicus) - Awash Ethiopia

 The Indian hare (Lepus nigricollis), also known as the black-naped hare, is a common species of hare native to the Indian subcontinent, and Java.

It has been introduced to Madagascar, Comoro Islands, Andaman Islands, Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Mayotte, Mauritius and Réunion.

There are 7 recognized subspecies of Indian hare.

• Lepus nigricollis aryabertensis

• Lepus nigricollis dayanus

• Lepus nigricollis nigricollis

• Lepus nigricollis ruficaudatus

• Lepus nigricollis sadiya

• Lepus nigricollis simcoxi

• Lepus nigricollis singhala

Indian Hare (Lepus nigricollis dayanus) - Gujarat India

Black-naped (Indian) Hare (Lepus nigricollis singhala) - Sri Lanka

 The Woolly Hare (Lepus oiostolus) is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is found in western and central China, northern India, and Nepal, where its typical habitat is montane grassland. It has a wide range and is present in some protected areas but is a generally uncommon species; the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

The woolly hare grows to a length of 40 to 58 cm (16 to 23 in). The coat is moulted just once a year.

The woolly hare is native to Central Asia. Its range extends from northern Nepal, and Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim in India, to western and central China, where it is present in the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet, Xinjiang and Yunnan. The habitat of this hare is mainly high altitude grasslands of several types; Alpine meadows, shrubby meadows and upland cold deserts, but it also occurs in coniferous or mixed montane woodland. Its altitudinal range is from 3,000 to 5,300 m (9,800 to 17,400 ft) above sea level.

The woolly hare is a shy and usually solitary animal, and although sometimes active by day, it is mostly nocturnal. It feeds on grasses and herbs, with individual animals returning regularly at night to the same foraging areas. During the day it sometimes rests in the sun in a sheltered position. The breeding season starts in April, with two litters of between four and six young being produced each year.

Woolly Hare (Lepus oiostolus) - many places in Qinghai, Tibetan Plateau

 The Burmese hare (Lepus peguensis) is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Three subspecies are recognised; L. p. peguensis, L. p. siamensis and L. p. vassali.

The Burmese hare is a small to moderate sized species with adults growing to a length of 35 to 50 centimetres (14 to 20 in) and weighing between 2 and 2.5 kilograms (4.4 and 5.5 lb). The long ears have black tips, the dorsal surface of the body is reddish-grey tinged with black, the rump is rather greyer and the underparts are white. The tail is white above and black below and the feet are white in individuals from Burma and reddish-brown or yellowish-brown in those from Thailand.

The range of the Burmese hare extends from southern Myanmar, south of the Chindwin River, to northern parts of the Malay Peninsula, including Thailand, Cambodia, southern Laos and southern Vietnam. It is mainly a lowland species but has been recorded as high as 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in the mountains of Thailand although other surveys have not found it higher than 800 metres (2,600 ft) elsewhere. Its typical habitats are cropland and dry wasteland, clearings in forests and coastal sandy areas. It is common in seasonally-inundated riverside flats, and is present in rice fields cultivated in a traditional manner while avoiding heavily irrigated, intensively-grown paddies.

Burmese Hare (Lepus peguensis) - Many seen in Petchaburi Province Thailand

 The scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis) is one of two species of hares found in southern Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. Although it is listed as a least concern species, the population has been declining and is expected to decline by 20% over the next 100 years.

The scrub hare has a very distinct coloration. On the dorsal side of the hare, the fur is grizzled-gray with small black spots. The ventral side of the fur is all white.Scrub hares have a small, stubby tail with the topside being black and the underside being white. What makes "Lepus saxatilis" different from the other subspecies is the patch of red-brown fur it has behind its ears. They have long ears that are normally perched up that are gray, and together with its tail make it most visible when it is running from predators.

The scrub hare has a very large range in its body size and body mass compared to most animals. Its length ranges from about 45–65 centimeters (18–26 inches), and its mass ranges from about 1.5–4.5 kg (3.3–9.9 lb). This large range is specific to the scrub hare because of its different geographical ranges. Hares that live in more southern latitudes decrease in body size and those that live in more northern latitudes have larger body sizes. Females are typically larger than males.

The scrub hare is endemic to southern Africa. They are most commonly found in southern Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. However, they have been spotted in southeast Ethiopia, southwest Mauritania, Senegal, Uganda, Kenya, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. However, the scrub hare is not found in the Namib desert.

Scrub hares are normally found at higher elevations at about 1220 m to 1830 m. They are primarily found in scrub, tall grasslands and savanna woodlands. However, at night they can be seen in open grasslands. They are never seen in forests or deserts. They have also been known to adapt to agriculturally developed lands.

They are also found throughout two different biomes, tropical and sub-tropical.[2] This gives them a temperature range of about 22 to 35 °C (72 to 95 °F).

Scrub Hare (Lepus saxatilis) - Various places in Africa

The Ethiopian highland hare (Lepus starcki) or Starck's hare is a medium-sized species of mammal in the rabbit and hare family, Leporidae. Its dorsal pelage is grizzled, buff white and spotted and streaked with black, while its belly fur is pure white and fluffy. It is endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands, ranging over the Afroalpine regions of the Shoa, Bale, and Arsi Provinces of Ethiopia. A herbivore, it mostly feeds on moorland grasses. The IUCN rates it as a species of least concern.

The Ethiopian highland hare was first described by the French zoologist Francis Petter in 1963. It was originally described as a subspecies of the cape hare (Lepus capensis), but was later given a species status by Renate Angermann in 1983. In 1987, Maria Luisa Azzaroli-Puccetti also listed the Ethiopian highland hare as a separate species, although she suggested it to be a primitive form of the European hare (Lepus europaeus), and is closely related to it, due to the similarity of their skulls. She mentioned that after an interglacial period, the retraction of glaciers Might have isolated the populations of the European hare on the Ethiopian plateau, which evolved as a different subspecies. Thus, the scientific name she suggested was L. europaeus starcki.

In 2005, R.S. Hoffmann and A.T. Smith, following Angermann, listed the Ethiopian highland hare as a separate species. No subspecies are recognized for the Ethiopian highland hare.

Starck’s (Ethiopian Highland) Hare (Lepus starcki) - Bale Mountains Ethiopia

Smith's red rockhare, Smith's red rock hare or Smith's red rock rabbit (Pronolagus rupestris) is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae (rabbits and hares), and is the smallest member of the genus Pronolagus. The upperparts and gular collar are reddish brown in colour. It has warm, brown, grizzled, thicker hairs at the back of the body, and white to tawny, thinner underfur. It is native to Africa, found in parts of Kenya (Rift Valley), Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa (Northern Cape, Free State, and North West), Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is a folivore, and usually forages on grasses (such as sprouting grass), shrubs and herbs. It breeds from September to February, and the female litters one or two offspring. The young leave the nest at three years of age. In 1996, it was rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith first described the Smith's red rock hare in the year 1834. It was originally described in the genus Lepus, and was formerly included in Natal red rock hare (P. crassicaudatus). They are commonly known as rock rabbits in Zambia. In Swahili, its name is sungura mwekundu or kitengule.

In the third edition of Mammal Species of the World published in 2005, R. S. Hoffman and A. T. Smith listed Smith's red rock hare (Pronolagus rupestris) as a separate species and included five subspecies.

The taxonomic status of the east African Smith's red rock hare is uncertain. It is treated conspecific with the southern African P. rupestris. A paper looking at mitochondrial DNA argued that P. r. curryi is the only non-nominate subspecies. Mammals of Africa does not recognize any subspecies and rather that curryi, fitzsimonsi, melanurus, mülleri, nyikae, and vallicola are all just synonyms of P. rupestris.

It is similar to the Jameson's red rock hare (P. randensis) which has shorter ears and a longer tail, and the Hewitt's red rock hare (P. saundersiae) which has a shorter snout bone than the frontal bone. (The latter is regarded as P. r. saundersiae by some authorities.

The Smith's red rock hare is native to Africa, found in parts of Kenya (Rift Valley), Lesotho, Malawi, eastern Zimbabwe, South Africa (Northern Cape, Free State, and North West), Tanzania, and Zambia. It is believed to no longer be present in Namibia. It occurs on rocky slopes and tops of rocky outcrops, in stony countries where grass, rocks, and bush are intermingled. It inhabits ravines with boulders, hillsides, slabs of stones, and rock creaks which provide cover from predators.

Smith’s Red Rock Hare (Pronolagus rupestris) - Kimberly Desert South Africa