Hares are some of the fluffiest and cutest creatures on Earth, known to us from early childhood. With their charming faces, long ears, and snowy fur, hares have become a staple in many children’s stories, cartoons, and songs. In folklore, the hare is often depicted as wise, hardworking, honest, yet sometimes cowardly, opposing cunning and ruthless predators.
In reality, life for hares is even more “exciting.” To live to old age, they must face numerous dangers every day. AdmiGram.com will tell you how hares live in the wild and share some interesting facts about their everyday lives.
Amazing facts about hares for kids and adults
Some hares build multi-room burrows
© Rahim Sof / Unsplash
You probably know that hares live on all continents and can be found in forests, meadows, deserts, tundras, and swamps. But not everyone knows that some hares dig burrows up to 10 feet (3 meters) deep for living. A hare’s home is a real “multi-room apartment” with several entrances and exits, special rooms for sleeping, eating, and raising young.
When hares are happy, they dance and “purr” like cats
When a hare is happy, it starts purring like a cat, making a characteristic sound with its teeth. They also “dance,” jumping and turning 180° in the air. If you have a pet rabbit, you’ve likely seen this behavior many times.
Hares live in large families
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Due to their high fertility, hares naturally form social groups of relatives, known in the scientific world as hare colonies. It’s particularly interesting to watch a colony at dusk when hundreds of hares emerge from their burrows to forage. Remarkably, these families live only on their own territory and never intrude on others’, even during danger.
Hares were the third animals domesticated by humans
Modern historians believe that after dogs and livestock, ancient humans domesticated hares. With their tasty meat, warm fur, and simple living conditions, they were an excellent choice for primitive people. Today, rabbits are the third most popular pets.
Why female hares nurse others’ young
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When a female hare has offspring, she tries to protect them with a natural trick. She doesn’t return to her young right away to avoid leading predators to them by scent. Instead, she confuses the trail with others, disorienting predators. As long as she has milk, she will nurse any other young hares she encounters. This is an example of hare mutual aid.
Hares need to exercise
Hares need to be active for at least 4 hours a day; otherwise, their bone tissue will develop a condition similar to osteoporosis. Therefore, if you decide to get a rabbit, make sure to provide it with enough open space to run and jump.
Hares have 360° vision
© Nic Berlin / Unsplash
Hares’ vision is so well-adapted that they can see everything around them, except what’s directly in front of their nose and behind their tail. Each eye can rotate within a hemisphere, giving hares a 360° view. So sneaking up on a hare from behind is nearly impossible. However, their vision isn’t very sharp, making them easy prey for fast predators.
Hares eat their own feces
Hares do this not out of hunger or stupidity. It’s due to their digestive system requiring them to digest some of their food in two stages. This mechanism is present in many animals in the wild.
Hares’ ears are true echolocators
© Vincent van Zalinge / Unsplash
Hares’ ears can hear in a frequency range of 360–42,000 Hz (compared to a human’s 64–23,000 Hz) at very low sound pressure levels. Each ear can rotate independently, “tuning” to the source of noise. Only bats, rats, and field mice hear better than hares. Additionally, hare ears help dissipate excess heat.
Hares’ teeth never stop growing
When hares eat, they make 3-4 chewing motions per second. Their teeth wear down quickly. If their teeth didn’t grow constantly, they would become toothless and die of starvation within 2-3 months.
image on top: Lee Prestiegne / Flickr
