Interesting facts about hares: varieties and lifestyle of eared jumpers. White hare: description, habitat, what they eat and how they reproduce Natural habitat of the white hare

Practical work: “Study of the morphological characteristics of the species. Studying the diversity of type criteria"

Goal of the work: determine whether it is possible to judge by morphological characteristics whether an organism belongs to a certain species; be able to use the criteria of a species to characterize it.

Progress:

1. Consider the proposed plant samples.

Write down the data on the morphological structure of plants in a table, make a morphological characteristic of two plants of the same genus. (using the description of plants at the end)

Draw conclusions about the reasons for the similarities and differences.

Anemone oak grove Anemone buttercup

From the text, select sentences with certain type criteria. Serial numbers enter the proposals in the third column of the table.

White hare and brown hare

1. The genus of hares itself, which includes the hare and hare, as well as 28 other species, is quite numerous. 2.The most famous hares in Russia are the hare and the hare. 3. White hare can be found in the territory from the Northern coast Arctic Ocean to the southern border of the forest zone, in Siberia - to the borders with Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia, and in the Far East - from Chukotka to and North Korea. 4. The hare is also widespread in the forests of Europe, as well as in eastern North America. 5. The hare lives on the territory of European Russia from Karelia, south of the Arkhangelsk region to the southern borders of the country, in Ukraine and Transcaucasia. 6.But in Siberia, this hare lives only in the south and west of Lake Baikal.

7.Hare got its name thanks to its snow-white winter fur. 8.Only the tips of his ears remain black all year round. 9. The hare in some northern areas also becomes very light in color towards winter, but it is never snow-white. 10.And in the south it does not change color at all.

11. The hare is more adapted to life in open landscapes, since it is larger than the hare and runs better. 12. At short distances, this hare can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h. 13. The white hare’s paws are wide, with dense pubescence, so that they are less likely to fall into loose forest snowdrifts. 14. And the hare’s paws are narrower, because in open places the snow is usually hard, compacted, “trodden down by the wind.”

15. White hare body length - 45-75 cm, weight - 2.5-5.5 kg. 16. The ears are shorter than those of a hare. 17. The body length of the hare is 50-70 cm, weight up to 5 (sometimes 7) kg.

18. Hares usually breed twice, and in the south three or even four times a year. 19. White hares can hatch two, three, five, or seven hares, while brown hares usually have only one or two hares. 20. Browns begin to try grass two weeks after birth, and whites even faster - after a week.

Criterion name	Characteristics of individuals according to criterion	Serial numbers of sentences
1. Morphological	The similarity between external and internal structure organisms.
2. Physiological	The similarity of all life processes and the possibility of obtaining fertile offspring through crossing.
3. Ecological	Similarities in feeding methods, habitats, and sets of factors external environment necessary for existence.
4. Geographical	They occupy a specific area.
5. Biochemical	Similarity in biochemical parameters - composition and structure of proteins, nucleic acids.
6. Ethological	Similarities in behavior. Especially during the mating season (courtship rituals, mating songs, etc.).
7. Cyto-genetic a) Cytological	Individuals of the same species interbreed and produce fertile offspring (based on the similarity of the number of chromosomes, their shape and structure).
b) Genetic	Genetic isolation of species. Presence of post-population isolation mechanisms. The most important of them are the death of male gametes (genetic incompatibility), the death of zygotes, the non-viability of hybrids, their sterility, and finally, the inability to find a sexual partner and produce viable fertile offspring
8. Historical	Community of ancestors, a common history of the origin and development of the species.

Taxon: Ranunculaceae family

Oak anemone (Anemone nemorosa).

Description. Perennial herbaceous plant of the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It has a horizontal, cylindrical, smooth rhizome that branches and grows quickly. Thanks to this, the plant forms dense thickets. The stem is erect, sparsely pubescent, 10-25 cm high.
Leaves are thrice dissected. The basal leaf is single (or not at all) long-petiolate. Stem leaves on short petioles, collected three in a ring. Peduncles are solitary with one flower at the end. The flowers are white, light pink or purple, usually with six (maybe 7 or 8) ovate petals, 20-30 mm in diameter. Blooms in April - May.
Fruit ripening in June. The fruit is an oblong, short-haired achene with numerous seeds. Oak anemone prefers shady areas with loose, fertile soil. Grows in forests (mostly broad-leaved), among shrubs. Propagated vegetatively and by seeds.
The plant is distributed in Western Europe, Mediterranean, in the forest zone of the European part of Russia. There are about 150 species of anemone. In most species of this plant, the petals easily fall off when the wind blows. The most common species are oak, forest, and buttercup. The plant is poisonous!

Anemone buttercup
Anemone ranunculoides

Anemone buttercup is a perennial herbaceous plant with a long, creeping, well-developed rhizome of a dark brown color, from which several scale-like leaves on long petioles extend. The stem is from 10 to 30 cm in height, erect, glabrous or sparsely hairy. The leaves are semi-leathery, three-lobed, deeply heart-shaped at the base, often covered with a purple bloom below. The flowers are bright yellow, with three small, sepal-like, green involucre leaves and 6 blue, petal-like sepals; corolla is underdeveloped; There are many stamens and pistils. Pollinated by rainwater: this occurs when the erect perianth is filled with water, on the surface of which pollen grains float. Externally, anemone flowers are a little reminiscent of buttercup flowers. When the anemone blooms, forest trees and shrubs are just beginning to bloom. At this time there is a lot of light in the forest. After the trees are covered with foliage and the forest becomes dark, the development of the anemone ends. It begins to turn yellow, the stem with leaves withers and falls to the ground. At the beginning of summer, no traces of the plant remain. Only in the soil is a living rhizome preserved, which gives rise to a new shoot with leaves and a flower the following spring. The fruits are achenes with a short curved nose. Blooms in April-May. Anemone is dangerous for animals only in fresh. The fruit is an achene.

The hare family includes the hare, hare, tolai, and Manchurian hare. This also applies wild rabbit, which lives in the south of Ukraine, but we will not touch on it, because our book is dedicated to hunting hares. Sometimes there is a cross between a hare and a hare - a hare-cuff, which has characteristics of both species. Such hybrids do not produce offspring.

The most common are the hare and hare, but in last years There are fewer and fewer hare, and this is alarming.

The population of tolai hares is in slightly better condition; their reserves are not even fully developed.

Concerning Manchurian hare, living in a relatively small area, it is not as numerous and popular as other species.

Brown hare lives mainly in the European part of our country - from the western borders to the Trans-Urals, from Arkhangelsk to the coast of the Caspian Sea. The distribution area of the hare is gradually expanding, and only in the last 50-60 years has it moved eastward by more than a thousand kilometers. In addition, the hare was released where he had not been before: in Western and Eastern Siberia, in the Far East.

The hare is the largest representative of the hare family (up to 7 kg), although its weight varies in different areas. The smallest are the southern hare, weighing only 3-3.5 kilograms. The largest Russians live in Bashkiria. The body sizes of the hare also vary; the length of the largest ones exceeds 70 centimeters.

Unlike the hare, the hare has a longer, wedge-shaped tail, colored black on top. It has long ears, narrow and long paws, the soles of which are covered with short, coarse hair. When it is necessary to distinguish between a hare and a hare in summer pubescence, they are usually compared by the length of their ears: a hare’s ears, if extended towards the nose, will protrude beyond it, since they longer than the head; The white hare's ears are shorter and do not or barely reach the tip of the nose.

The hare has a beautiful wavy and silky coat, the color of the hair varies from clay-brown-gray with a fawn tint (in the south) to light gray, almost white with a constant dark “belt” on the ridge (in the north and northeast). The hair color of the southern and western hare remains almost unchanged over the seasons. In the northern and northeastern regions, the summer brownish color changes to light, almost white, by winter - molting occurs. The tips and edges of the ears, the upper part of the tail and the narrow stripe on the ridge do not change their dark color.

The hare, whose hind legs are much longer than the front ones, runs well on hard surfaces, but has difficulty in deep, loose snow.

This hare has adapted perfectly to life in conditions open spaces. He has well-developed vision and can distinguish danger at a distance of 300-400 meters. Statements about the “myopia” of the hare are erroneous and are probably caused by the fact that he does not always determine the degree of danger, and is sometimes too curious. That is why the hare quite often lets the hunter get close.

The hare's hearing and sense of smell are no less acutely developed, helping him to navigate well in his surroundings. The brown hare can hardly be considered a cowardly animal. There are many examples of his display of excellent restraint, cunning and resourcefulness. In addition, very often the hare lives in close proximity to humans. And many of the hare’s habits often convince of his high intelligence and almost “calculation.” In moments of extreme danger - from the rush of dogs - he sometimes even escapes into populated areas or in a herd of cattle.

The hare lives in a wide variety of lands. It can be found in semi-deserts and Arkhangelsk forests, in alpine meadows Caucasus and Don steppes, in Carpathian spruce forests and fields near Moscow. However, in most places it retains its original affinity for open lands. Therefore, the main habitats of the hare are fields with various agricultural crops, meadows and meadow floodplains, ravines, ravines, as well as gardens, forest outskirts and shelter belts, bush thickets, sandy areas with trees and shrubs.

According to its way of life, the hare is a twilight-nocturnal animal, but where it is less disturbed, it can be active during the day. It roosts in a wide variety of places, although this often depends on weather conditions, the nature of the terrain and lighting. A hare can be raised from a bed in an open field, in an overgrown ravine, in a vegetable garden and in a forest, in a garden and in a forest belt.

For most of the year, hares feed on various herbaceous plants. Only in winter, especially in the second half, do they eat trees and shrubs, gnawing the bark of trunks and side shoots. It is during this period that the hare can damage fruit trees and young forest plantations. In practice, this hare rarely goes hungry. A lack of food can be felt during snowy winters with blizzards, blizzards and ice.

Hares usually do not need water; they satisfy their need by eating succulent grassy vegetation. Sometimes you have to watch them drink from rain puddles in summer time, but this happens quite rarely.

Like other herbivorous animals, hares need additional mineral nutrition and therefore almost constantly feel the need for salt. That is why they willingly visit artificial salt licks. Sometimes they lick mineral fertilizers left unscattered, mistaking them for salt, and die from this.

The breeding season of the hare is quite long and lasts from January (in the south) to September. The beginning of the rutting season of hares can be easily determined by their increased activity - numerous dragging tracks, remnants of fur from fighting males, and wakefulness during the daytime. At the same time, spots of blue urine are clearly visible on the snow.

After a six-week pregnancy (its duration can vary from 41-42 to 48-51 days), the hare usually brings 2-5, less often up to 9, hares. During the breeding season, she can have from 2 to 4 broods with a total number of 10-12 or more hares. The rabbits are born sighted, pubescent and grow very quickly due to the nutritious milk of the hare (up to 24% fat and 12% protein) and an early transition to green food. A three-month-old hare is already difficult to distinguish from an adult hare.

Little hares have amazing adaptability to their surroundings: they lie motionless in one place, without giving away their presence, among thickets of grass or bushes and have no smell. The fact is that the sweat glands of hares are located mainly on the soles of their paws. Even the keen sense of a fox rarely allows her to detect a hidden hare. It is believed that the hare, returning to the hares for the next feeding, most often finds them only after they have given a trace. A hound, too, as a rule, does not smell a lying hare; it often runs past and discovers it only when the alarmed animal rises from its rest, leaving a sharp-smelling trail behind it. Therefore, it is quite difficult to detect a lurking hare even in an open place; moreover, it is well camouflaged by longer hair on the abdomen and sides, making it almost invisible.

Despite such high adaptability to local conditions, out of a fairly numerous offspring, only a few hares survive by autumn, so in general their growth is not always noticeable. This is due to the high natural mortality of young animals from various causes.

White hare has much in common with the hare, but it also has differences in color, body structure and lifestyle. Let us point out the main features that a young hunter needs to know.

The white hare inhabits a vast, much larger territory than the hare: it is found in almost the entire forest zone, in the forest-steppe, partly in the steppe, and also in the tundra, although its number is different zones different.

The hare differs from the hare in its smaller weight (2.5-5.5 kg) and size, shorter hind legs and massive head. The largest white hare live in the tundra of Chukotka and Taimyr, the smallest in the south of Eastern Siberia and the Far East.

The soles of the hare's paws are wider, "spreader", better furred, and although it is inferior in running speed to the hare, it moves better on loose snow.

It got its name - hare - for its winter coloring. This snow-white hare lying on the snow is identified only by the black tips of its ears. In summer, white hare have a reddish-brown-gray color and resemble a summer hare. True, the undercoat of white hare is coarser and the guard hairs are completely straight.

The white hare is considered primarily a forest dweller and prefers areas of the forest where there are better feeding and protective conditions. Therefore, you should not look for it in a deep and dense forest. It is more convenient for him to have more diverse forest lands with clearings, shrubs, moss and hummock swamps, aspen forests, clearings, old burnt areas and ravines. In summer, the white hare can also live in dense forests. In winter, he usually avoids it.

Unlike the hare, the hare is more associated with certain places lays down, sometimes reuses them. During the day it lies in a wide variety of, but always well-protected places. He especially likes to lie down under wind-fallen trees, in piles of brushwood, among hummocks in swamps, in clumps of dense bushes and in forest ravines.

Usually the hare lives sedentary, but sometimes migrates. Within the same areas of land, these migrations are insignificant and are associated primarily with seasonal changes in food. But white hare can travel considerable distances, especially in the tundra, when need forces them to migrate southward, into the forest-tundra.

Just like the hare, this hare leads twilight-night image life. Its activity depends on the state of the weather: in winter it is most active on frosty nights, and in the thaw it does not get up from its bed longer, sometimes remaining on it for up to two days.

The composition of the hare's feed differs in that its food contains more trees and shrubs than herbaceous vegetation. It is especially important for the hare to have a sufficient supply of winter food, since in summer it usually does not feel a lack of food. The hare finds the best quality food on the edges and large forest clearings, where the plants are well lit by the sun and are more varied and nutritious. White hare also need mineral nutrition and willingly visit salt licks. Females often gnaw on bones and shed antlers of deer and elk, replenishing the need for minerals, especially necessary for developing embryos and newborn hares. The hare feels the need for water only in dry weather, which forces it to move closer to forest watering places.

The mating season lasts from February to July, with hares born after a seven-week pregnancy between March and August. In total, the hare has from one to three broods, each with from 1 to 3-5 hares. It is the first brood that is most important (for the hare it is the second!), which determines the increase in the population of this species.

The rabbits are well adapted to their environment and grow quite quickly. But, like all hares, young hare, especially summer broods, are subject to high mortality; more than half of the animals die in the summer, so that out of 10-11 hares born by one female, only a few survive.

The white hare, more than other hares, is susceptible to various diseases, especially helminthic diseases. This is most often observed in damp, low-lying areas, favorable for the development of various worms. Rainy summer weather contributes to the spread of the disease. Many hares also die from predators; their main enemies are foxes and lynxes. However, in general, the population of hares does not depend only on foxes.

Despite all these reasons, the white hare population can reach high numbers, especially in the northern and central regions of the European part of the country.

Tolai hare inhabits the southern regions of our country: Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Southern Siberia to the Transbaikal steppes, lives in deserts and semi-deserts, steppes and tugai thickets, even enters the mountains. It especially likes to live in various thickets of dense and thorny vegetation; it is found in deciduous and coniferous forests, in subalpine meadows.

It resembles a hare, but its weight is almost half that of a hare (from 1.5 to 3 kg). Body length is about 50 centimeters. More modest than that of the hare, the winter pubescence of the tolai has a dull, ash-gray or grayish-brown color. The dark and light ends of the guard hairs create a peculiar hatched pattern, and, unlike the hare, the pubescence is short, sparse, and without wavy. The tail is black or blackish-brown on top, the ears are longer than those of the hare and do not have a black border along the outer edge.

It is quite difficult to detect this hare while lying down, since it roosts in dense thickets of shrubs or herbaceous plants, hiding from its enemies: jackals, foxes, wild cats. The lifestyle of the tolay has much in common with other representatives of the hare family. It feeds in the twilight and night time, and lies down during the day, and the tolai practically spends its entire life in the same microdistrict where it was born. This is a typical herbivorous animal, feeding on various herbaceous and tree-shrub plants. Like the hare, it willingly feeds on agricultural crops, especially where they are located close to thickets - roosting areas.

The reproduction of tolai has been poorly studied; even the duration of pregnancy of females has not been established. The rut begins early - at the end of January and ends in September. The young appear between February and October, and there are three to six or more hares in a brood. It is believed that tolai have three or four litters in total, with more numerous hares in the second and third litters.

The population of this hare can reach a high number, much larger than that of the white hare, and the reserves of the tolay are clearly not fully developed. It is valued only as an object of hunting.

Manchurian hare by lifestyle and appearance resembles a hare, although in size and body weight it may be smaller than the smallest hare. It differs from other hares in that its ocher-brownish-brown color with a pronounced dark mottled pattern does not change with the seasons. The hairline is hard and bristly. With its short legs and overall compact body, the Manchurian hare resembles a wild rabbit.

The distribution area of the Manchurian hare is insignificant. It inhabits deciduous coastal forests Far East, Amur Valley. Like the hare, it is a typical forest dweller, avoids open areas and old forests, prefers mountain slopes, ravines, floodplains and other areas with thickets of hazel and young oak trees, aspen and birch forests with rich shrubby undergrowth.

The Manchurian hare is a sedentary animal, active in the twilight and night time. Spends the whole day lying down, which it arranges in thickets, hollows of fallen trees, cliffs and badger holes. In winter it may have several beds connected by paths.

It feeds on trees and shrubs, berries, fruits, and algae. In winter, it sometimes feeds under the snow, digging tunnels in it.

The reproduction of the Manchurian hare has been little studied. It is known that the mating season lasts from March to June, and the hares appear in April - July. There are from 1 to 4 hares in a brood.

Since the Manchurian hare usually does not reach high numbers, is small in size and has low quality hair, its economic importance is low.

A brief biological description of hares remains to be supplemented with general information about the characteristics characteristic of all considered species of the hare family.

Hares, like other fur-bearing animals, change their hair coat annually. Only the Manchurian hare's hair remains externally unchanged.

In spring, the thick, long winter coat changes to thinner, shorter summer fur. In autumn, on the contrary, there is a complete change from summer to winter hair. A sign of the beginning of molting, in addition to the fragility of the falling hair, is a change in the color of the flesh (skin) of hares. During autumn molting, the flesh turns blue from the back of the body, and in spring molting begins from the head. Spring shedding occurs rapidly, hair quickly loses its shine, becomes brittle, thins and falls out in clumps. Such shreds of white wool, similar to lumps of late snow, are often found in spring forest, when hunting on woodcock draft.

In autumn, molting occurs more evenly, and the time it ends determines the start of hunting. The skin becomes full only after the molting is completed. Usually, by the time a white trail (stable snow cover) is established, the whites have moulted completely, putting on their winter, dazzling white coat. But sometimes the weather lets them down: the first, unstable snow is driven away by late October rains, and the faded white hares stand out sharply among the darkened snow. autumn forest and withered, red foliage. It is on this feature that, by the way, “Uzerka” hunting is based.

During the autumn molt, the hare's flesh does not turn blue, like that of other hares, but remains white. In spring it is as dark as that of the hare and tolai. This is explained by the fact that by winter the hare grows white hair that does not have a special coloring substance - pigment - in the roots.

In healthy, well-fed hares, molting usually proceeds normally, with males molting first and then females. At the same time, molting in females occurs faster than in males. Young animals of late broods begin molting later than other hares; it is also delayed in sick and undernourished animals. The timing of molting may vary depending on weather conditions. Usually in central regions The molting of the hare ends by mid-November, and of the hare - by the end of this month.

All hares are susceptible to disease, so in some years there may be a mass death of these animals, or pestilence, as they used to say. However, such mass deaths are usually associated with certain conditions - the state of their numbers and the weather. At high numbers, when hares come into contact with each other more often, diseases spread faster. Wet weather, especially cold summer rains, contributes to the occurrence of diseases. There are diseases of a permanent nature that are practically unrelated to the high number of hares and weather conditions.

Some diseases of hares are common to humans and domestic animals. Some diseases may occur on large areas, without affecting a significant number of hares, others capture large areas. In most cases, a sick hare is easy to distinguish from a healthy one. A sick animal lies more firmly on its bed, is unable to leave the dog for a long time, and is less careful. With some diseases, hares lose their reaction to danger, appearance they become unattractive - brittle, dull fur, poor coordination of movements, thinness, indigestion. However, it often happens that a hunter finds a dead hare without any external signs diseases: with good fatness, shiny even coat. Death can be caused, in particular, by acute poisoning with pesticides, the presence of which in a dead hare is not easy to determine even in the laboratory. It is important not to ignore such cases.

The spread of diseases also depends on the sanitary condition of the land, on the soil, local climate, vegetation composition, the number of various insects, the presence of sick domestic animals, stray dogs, etc. Therefore, the role of diseases in fluctuations in the number of the same species of hares in different geographical areas not the same. So, for the hare in Yakutia and the European North, the disease is main reason death.

The most common helminthic diseases among hares affect the lungs, trachea, bronchi, intestines, and liver. (This is why, in particular, it is not recommended to feed dogs raw entrails of hares, so as not to infect the dogs with worms).

The denser the territory is populated by humans, the more intense it is economic activity. Since the white hare mainly lives in forest lands, in the middle zone its numbers are significantly influenced by various forestry and irrigation works.

So, for example, clear cuttings, which form large areas of cutting areas, at first, it would seem, create the most favorable conditions for the hare's life: in place of a dense, continuous forest, small trees and shrubs quickly appear, and grass cover improves. But after ten to fifteen years, the shoots grow, the young animals move to the next age group - polewood - and the feeding properties of the land for the white hare deteriorate significantly.

Worsens the habitat conditions of the hare and planting coniferous trees over large areas, depriving the forest of its diversity. Such forest areas become unsuitable for hares. Some forest irrigation works carried out in the central regions of the forest zone also negatively affect the condition of the hare's lands.

In densely populated highway areas, the state of the white hare population in to a greater extent the so-called anxiety factor has a negative effect. True, the white hare, like other hares, has adapted well to being close to humans. But when there is a simultaneous impact of several factors - constant disturbance, various economic activities, including grazing and haymaking - this begins to affect the number of the white hare. It is not difficult to understand that the situation is aggravated by excessive hunting, which greatly undermines the white hare population in certain areas of the central zone. At the same time, there are many places where the number of white hare is increasing significantly, but its reserves are not being developed or are not being developed enough.

It is advisable for a hunter to know, for example, that hares of the same species of different age and gender show different levels of caution and reaction to danger. It has been noted that males are more careful, as they rise from their beds earlier when they see a hunter. Females, on the contrary, hide more often and get shot faster. The wariness of hares increases when their numbers are low and they are frequently disturbed by humans and dogs. Where there are a lot of hares and are less disturbed, they often allow a person to approach within 15-20 meters. It also depends on the time of year: in spring and summer, for example, they are more trusting than in autumn and winter. At the beginning of the hunting season, these animals are closer to them than at the end of it. Young hares and sick animals are reluctant to rise from their beds. All these features must be taken into account when hunting.

There are many others in the behavior of hares interesting moments, which a young hunter needs to notice. Each hunting trip can give him new, unknown or previously little-known information about the habits of these animals. Therefore very important quality A hunter must have observation skills, without which it is difficult to feel the real joy of communicating with nature. It is hunters who can significantly supplement information about the behavior of hares, which is very important for managing the population of these animals. The more information we have about hares, the easier it will be for us to run a “hare farm.”

Hares are common animals. They play an important role in the forest community and in human life. People engage in commercial hunting for hares, obtaining dietary, tasty meat and valuable fur, skin. IN wildlife There are several dozen species (30) of these animals, but the most common are two: the hare and the hare. How they look, where they are common, and what are the similarities between the white hare and the brown hare, read the article.

Similar features

Hares of any kind primarily belong to mammals and belong to one family - the hare. These animals have other similarities:

The ears are very long.
The collarbones are underdeveloped.
The hind legs are much longer than the front legs and they are very strong. Thanks to this, hares can run at a speed of 70 km/h.
The tail is short and fluffy.
Females are larger in size than males.
Animals shed twice a year: in spring and autumn periods. The length of this time depends on external conditions. In spring, most species begin to shed their old coats from the end of winter, starting from the head. In autumn, molting begins in September from the rear.

Brown hare

It belongs to the hare family and is distinguished by its large size, which makes it impossible to confuse it with other species. Body length reaches 68 cm, weight - 4-7 kg. Ears and tail can reach a length of 14 cm. summer period The hare has a gray color with different shades. IN winter period it depends on the habitat: in the middle zone the color does not change, except that it becomes lighter. But in the northern regions of residence, the fur of the hares becomes white with a dark stripe on the back.

Spread of the hare

These hares live in the steppe, tundra zone, and forest-steppe. They are characterized by the European steppe massifs, as well as the North African continent. These animals are common in Asia. The habitat in the north is limited to the territories of Ireland, Scotland, Finland, and Sweden.

In the south, the habitat of the brown hare borders Turkey, Iran, Arabia, Africa, Transcaucasia and northern Kazakhstan. IN North America This type of animal was introduced at the end of the 19th century. In our country, hare are common in the European part, southern Siberia, and the Far East.

In honor of this animal, known since ancient times, interesting tales for children and many fables in which the hare is called “gray”, “cowardly”, “brave”, “cunning”.

White hare

This animal from the hare family is a large representative of its genus, but compared to the brown hare it is much smaller. Its weight reaches two to three kilograms, sometimes more than four, its body is 45-70 cm, its ears and tail are up to 10 cm. Color is directly related to the time of year. In the summer, the skin becomes grey colour with a reddish or dark tint, brown spots are visible on the fur. The head is darker than the body, but the belly, on the contrary, is white. In winter, the white hare skin has a purely White color. The animals molt twice a year, like all representatives of this species.

Where does the white hare live?

The distribution area of this species includes China, Mongolia, Japan, Northern Europe, and South America. In our country, the hare lives over a vast territory: from Transbaikalia and the Don to the tundra itself. This animal lives in small forests that are located near ponds and agricultural land. Prefers open places with rich grass and berries.

Whites are lovers of a sedentary lifestyle. They migrate short distances only when necessary due to bad weather or lack of food. But in the tundra zone, their migration over long distances is widespread. Hares are forced to migrate due to lack of food, which is located under a layer of high snow.

White hare and brown hare: similarities and differences

Despite the fact that the white hare and the brown hare belong to the same species, there are a number of differences between them:

The hare is larger than the hare.
The hare is distinguished by longer ears and hind legs.
The hare has wider paws than the hare. Their feet are covered with thick fur, thanks to which in winter the animal easily moves through snow, even loose snow.
The hare has slightly wavy fur.
Favorite place The hare's habitat is forest, and the hare's habitat is meadows, arable lands, and copses.
In winter, the hare's fur is snow-white, only the tips of the ears are black. The brown hare is never pure white in color; it only lightens slightly in winter.
The hare has a shorter, round tail, while the hare has a long, wedge-shaped tail.

If you compare the white hare and the brown hare, you can find similarities between them.

These animals have long ears and hind legs.
In summer they have the same color - gray.
They are born immediately with fur and sighted. Exceptions are rare cases when there is no covering on the body. They grow up very quickly. Even at a young age, hares are able to protect themselves.
In times of danger, they flee from enemies and do not hide in holes like rabbits.
They prefer to live separately. They form a pair only during the mating season.
The food is hard food - the bark of trees and shrubs, small twigs, buds, shoots.
They do not store food for future use.
They have high fertility: they can bear offspring up to eight times a year. The female carries the hares for 1.5 months. Ready to mate immediately after giving birth.

The role of the hare in human life

The lifespan of this animal species in the wild is six to seven years. Rarely, but there are exceptions when the hare lives 12 years or more. The brown hare is valuable for its fur and meat, which is why it is included in the list of game animals. Felt is made from skins High Quality, and also sew fur products.

But there are many countries where the brown hare is considered a malicious pest of agricultural crops. Indeed, these cute animals harm winter crops and fruit plantings. Hares are capable of eating the entire vegetative part of 15 trees in just one night. In addition to harming agricultural plants, these animals are carriers of diseases such as brucellosis, coccidiosis, tularemia and others that affect humans, and in severe forms.

Hares They are not rodents, as we often think, and they are not actually that harmless. This mammal shows aggression when threatened. We know about the white hare from fairy tales, but we remember little, what are the differences and similarities between hare and hare. Why are they so confused? Let's figure it out together, starting with the characteristics.

Description of the hare

Hare body length 68-70 cm, despite the fact that the body itself is slender and the sides are compressed. Weight can reach 7 kg! main feature – wedge-shaped ears, growing from 9 to 15 cm. It is thanks to long ears, hares have well-developed hearing, vision and a weaker sense of smell. Hind limbs They have long feet; in case of danger, their speed reaches 80 km/h. A sudden change in direction puts predators into a stupor; they climb slopes well, but go back down head over heels. Hare fur rough, but very warm, the color depends on the season of the year. In winter, only the hare wears completely white fur, which is where it got its name; in summer, its color is gray. And only the tips of the ears remain dark in color, which looks very beautiful. Hare lifespan 5 years, but the female can live up to 9; in some cases, hares live up to 12-14 years.

How does a white hare differ from a brown hare?

Because many of us are confused hare and hare, we will tell you about the similarities and differences between these hares.

Similarities:

1. Both hares

2. Lead sedentary image life

3. Gray fur in summer

4. They eat only plant foods.

5. They don’t stock up for the winter.

Differences:

1. The brown hare is larger in size

2. The hare is completely white in winter, only the tips of the ears remain dark, and the hare only becomes lighter.

3. The hare lives only in the forest, while the hare lives in gardens, meadows, steppes, and arable lands

4. The hare has wide paws adapted to snow

5. The hare's ears are noticeably shorter than those of the hare, and they are colored with a dark dot

6. The hare has wavy fur, the hare has smooth fur

7. The hind legs of the hare are much shorter than those of the hare

8. The hare has a wedge-shaped and long tail, the hare has a short and rounded tail.

9. In winter, the hare feeds on aspen and willow, while the hare feeds on oak and maple bark

FOOD AND HABITAT OF THE BLACK HARE

What does the hare eat?

Undoubtedly, the hare's nutrition depends depending on the time of year. In winter, for example, they cause extreme damage to trees and shrubs by feeding on their bark. They also dig up crops in the snow. But a hare cannot be called a vegetarian! In the northern regions it was discovered that hares were attacking partridges.

In summer time hare eats various plants like clover, dandelions and many other herbs. Branches and leaves of young trees and shoots of bushes are perfect. It is unlikely that a hare refuses vegetables, especially when located near villages where you can profit from cabbage and carrots.

Where does the white hare live?

Where do our fairy-tale creatures live?

The White Hare has spread almost all over Russia! But it can also be found in different countries our world, for example, in Ireland, in Mongolia, in Northern Europe And South America. Belyaka Can't be confused with anyone! Yes Yes! After all, only he dresses in all white in winter. Hares live in open forest and steppe landscapes, in fields and meadows, on forest edges. They do not go deep into the forest, preferring to live close to people, because there is something to profit from there. They are active in the evening and at night, but during the day they sit out in their burrows.

VIDEO: FOREST TALES ABOUT THE BLACK HARE

IN THIS VIDEO YOU WILL LEARN A LOT OF USEFUL AND INTERESTING ABOUT THE BLACK HARE, AND YOU CAN ALSO SHOW THIS TRANSMISSION TO CHILDREN

The brown hare is the largest of the hare family, its length can reach 70 cm and its weight can reach 7 kg. On average, an adult hare weighs 4–5 kg. Its ears are longer than those of the hare (100–120 mm) or more a long tail, having a pointed shape.

The tips of the ears are dark, almost black. The general coat color is yellowish-fawn-brownish, with grayish sides and a lighter belly and neck. On the back there is a forelock belt, or saddle. In winter, the hare becomes significantly lighter (sometimes even white), but never completely white. The color of the winter outfit largely depends on the permanent habitat: whether it is open snow-covered fields or dark weeds. The undercoat has a pronounced undercoat with slightly curly guard hairs. The long hind legs are covered with dense, close-lying hair of medium hardness. The running speed of the hare is higher than that of the hare and reaches 50 km/h. The brown hare is originally a steppe animal, but is also widespread in the forest-steppe zone. With the development of agriculture and in connection with deforestation, the range of the hare has expanded significantly.

Tails of hares: a) hare b) hare

Many Russians settle along the edges of forests and in bushes. The hare leads a sedentary lifestyle, stubbornly preferring the places where it was born. The hare lies down for the night within a radius of 400 m from his previous bed, and only, repeatedly frightened by persecution, does he leave these places forever. A hare scared, for example, on stubble will not return here the next day, but will lie down in a forest belt or forest plantations, but a day later it will be in the same place. In the steppe zone, during foodless winters, hares sometimes migrate en masse to looking for food. As long as the height and looseness of the snow cover allow, the hare will feed on winter crops. With strong crust or very high snow cover, it becomes a pest of garden trees or fattens along the edges of forest belts and forest areas. With the onset of a thaw, he returns to his favorite food. On hard ground it lies down without making a den, but in loose ground it digs a hole about 8 cm deep and lies down with its head on its outstretched front paws and its ears flattened. His keen hearing allows him to constantly monitor his surroundings.

Lair of the steppe hare: a) in section; b) top view

During the summer, hares have up to four broods in the south, three in the middle zone, and to the east no more than two. Hares of the spring litter are called nastoviks, the summer ones are called spike litters, and those of late summer and early autumn are called deciduous ones. The litters are small – 2–4 little hares. They are born in a small depression, natural or made by a hare, very developed, with with open eyes. The mother stays with them very briefly, feeds them with thick, fatty milk and leaves them for a few days. If another nursing hare comes across the cubs, she will feed them, and total number Feedings before starting to eat green food are minimal. Young hares live close to each other for a long time. They become fully adults by 15 months, although they are able to reproduce earlier. Life expectancy is 7-8 years. The rut begins in the middle of winter, the males are very excited at this time, they run around a lot in search of a female, and, having gathered around her several individuals at a time, they organize “dances” and duels: they stand on their hind legs and “box” each other with their front legs. A hare's pregnancy lasts 45–50 days. The ability to confuse tracks is innate in hares, but the ability to adapt and gain experience is also great. Seasoned russians become almost impudent: they distinguish a hunter from a pedestrian, a tied dog from one running free, while the young ones are very careful and overly timid, often even to their own detriment. This explains the large dropout of hare in the first year of life. The hare is not too susceptible to disease. Hares quickly cease to be afraid of working collective farmers, cars, tractors. While running away, they sometimes try to determine the situation: they sit down or, standing on their hind legs, look around. A hare, having been under greyhounds at least once, will never do this again. There is an example in the literature unusual behavior hare: when running away from greyhounds, he can push another hare off its bed and lie down in its place if the dogs are not very close. Both young and seasoned hares avoid approaching forest plantations during heavy leaf fall, since the noise of the leaves prevents them from hearing the approaching enemy.
They also don’t like water dripping from trees and tall bushes, so after the rain he tries to find a drier place. In very cold springs with heavy rains, the first litter of hares may die, and then in the fall the small number of hares becomes very noticeable, but still the fluctuation in the number of hare is less pronounced than that of the hare, which is very susceptible to epizootics in rainy years.

The white hare can also reach 70 cm in length, but its weight does not exceed 5.5 kg ( average weight 2.5–3 kg). The ears are not too long with black tips, which remain so even with a white winter outfit.
In summer, the hare is even darker than the hare and has a dirty brown-reddish color with a light belly; there is no blackness on the tail. In countries with pronounced maritime climate The white hare does not turn white because there is little snow there and it does not lie there for long.
Leads a purely forest lifestyle, but does not huddle in thickets, preferring sparse deciduous forests and forests, interspersed with clearings, burnt areas and clearings, although he tries not to go out into open places, except for trips to the threshing floor, orchards and vegetable gardens.
In mid-summer, it sometimes lies down on a field of unharvested cereals, but near the saving forest. He goes out to the fields of winter crops, which he loves no less than the hare. In the forest it feeds on leaves, tree shoots, and herbaceous plants. Favorite tree is aspen.
Although the hare runs slower than the hare, its hind legs are larger and more powerful relative to the body, the paws of the hind legs are wider and the hair on them is coarser than that of the hare. This is explained by the fact that in the forest the snow is looser - wider “skis” are needed.

Traces of hares: a) hare; b) hare

For daytime rest, it chooses strong places, except during periods of leaf fall and rainfall, when it prefers to lie down in an open place. Particularly active in the pre-dawn hours. The hare's hearing is exceptionally developed, but his vision and sense of smell are not very developed. He may not even detect a quietly standing person. In the spring, after a hunger strike, they accumulate in clearings with young grass, which they eat greedily, while losing their vigilance. The rut is stormy, and fights often occur between males. In the tundra, a hare has only one litter, but up to 7 hares, and in the middle zone and to the south - 2–3, but each litter has 2 times fewer hares. The rabbits are sighted and independent already at birth, covered with thick hair, grow very quickly and are able to run quite quickly. The brood stays close to the mother, and sometimes the hare, like birds, moves the predator away from the hares, imitating injury. Already at the end of the first week of life, rabbits begin to eat grass.