The European hare (Lepus europaeus), also known as the brown hare, eastern jackrabbit and eastern prairie hare, is a species of hare native to northern, central, and western Europe and western Asia. It is a mammal adapted to temperate, open country. It is related to the similarly appearing rabbit, which is in the same family but a different genus. It breeds on the ground rather than in a burrow and relies on speed to escape.
Normally shy animals, hares change their behaviours in the spring, when they can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around meadows. During this spring frenzy, hares can be seen "boxing", where hares strike one another with their paws. For a long time, this had been thought to be competition between males, but closer observation has revealed it is usually a female hitting a male, either to show she is not yet quite ready to mate or as a test of his determination.

Ecology and Behaviour:

Outside of the mating season, the European hare lives a largely solitary lifestyle. It is mostly nocturnal and crepuscular and forages between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. During daytime, a hare will hide in a depression called a "form" where they are partially hidden. Hares are capable of running in speeds of up to 35 mph in a straight line. When running from its predators, the hare can dodge and change direction quickly. They will even dive into streams and can swim. Little evidence shows that hares stay within a restricted home range. Predators of the hare include the red fox, wolf, coyote, wild cats and birds of prey. Although they are usually quiet, hares will make low grunts and females will make "guttural" calls to her young.

Description:

The European hare has a head and body length ranging from 600-750 mm with a tail length of 72–110 mm. There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism in the species. As with all leporids, the hare has elongated ears which in this species ranges from 94–102 mm from the notch. The ears of the European hare are greyish white inside and have black tips on the top ends. It also has long hind feet that have a length from 142 to 161 mm. Most of the hare’s body is covered in yellowish-brown to greyish-brown fur but has greyish-white fur on the underside. In addition its face is brown with black rings around the eyes. Unlike some other leoporids, the European hare’s fur does not turn white in the winter, but it does get slightly more grey. The hare’s skull has a length from 96 to 104 mm and a width from 44 to 51 mm. The skull has nasal bones that are short, broad and heavy as well as prominent anterior and posterior lobes of the supraorbital processes. In addition, the skull has a prominent subcutaneous process of the lacrimal bone, projecting from the anterior wall of the orbit.