February Kids’ Corner
from the Gale River Cooperative Preschool
For many, the sighting of a snowshoe hare is a magical moment where you catch sight of the white fur against the white snow. Snowshoe hares live in wooded areas and in winter, their bounding tracks in the snow reveal their movement and patterns. They have a number of adaptations that help them survive their many predators. One notable adaptation is their color changing fur. Over the course of October to December they shed brown fur and the fur that grows back is white at the tips. This both allows the hare to camouflage with the white snow and stay warmer as the pigment-less fur instead has air pockets that trap heat. Snowshoe hares are also excellent at moving fast over snow. Their wide hind feet act like snowshoes, spreading out and allowing them to stay on top of the snow. They also can jump up to 12 feet and have been recorded running as fast as 31 mph on ice! This gives them a major advantage over predators who will sink into deep snow.
Two other notable adaptations include breeding and eating. The expression “breeding like rabbits” is rooted in truth. Snowshoe hares can start having babies at one year old and can have three or four litters of one to six babies a summer. The babies are also born precocial, meaning they already have fur, open eyes, and can move on their own! Snowshoe hares also have an interesting, and to us, a somewhat disgusting, eating trick. To get the most nutrients possible out of their food they eat it twice. This means they will poop out their food and eat it, then poop it out again. This allows them to spend less time focused on eating and more time focused on hiding from predators. The scat we see is usually the twice eaten scat. They also usually poop a little bit at a time so if you see a spot with lots of scat, they were there for a while.
Everyone in the natural world wants to know where the snowshoe hares are, so if you manage to spot one, take a moment to appreciate its presence.
Want tips on how to explore snowshoe hares this February? Read below for ideas then head outside!
There are lots of bird identification apps that make it easy to figure out who you’re seeing on winter walks. Downloading merlin from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will allow you to search possible birds through identifying characteristics or use sound ID to capture their call! Make sure you have this on your phone for your next winter hike and see who you can find!
Tracking snowshoe hares can be fun and easier in winter! Their tracks are quite apparent and can be told apart from cottontail rabbits’ by the width of the hind foot. If it’s wider than 1 1/2 inches, it’s a snowshoe hare! They also are crepuscular, or most active at dawn and dusk. Search in a wooded area, or spots you know might have food such as berries that last through the winter.
Interested in snowshoe hare activities and crafts? We’ve got you covered!
Searching for white snowshoe hares in a white environment can be a fun challenge that highlights their camouflage skills. Cut out little rabbit shapes out of white paper then place them on a white rug or landscape made out of white sheets. See if you can hunt down all of them. Try again with brown rabbits, which was easier?
Painting with a fork or comb can be a fun way to get a fur-like design! Draw a general rabbit shape then have your child paint it with white paint using a fork or comb. When it’s dry, you can work together to add eyes, a nose and a mouth!
