What is the maximal age a Snowshoe hare reaches?
An adult Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) usually gets as old as 8 years.
Snowshoe hares are around 36 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 67 grams (0.15 lbs) and measure 15.3 cm (0′ 7″). As a member of the Leporidae family (genus: Lepus), a Snowshoe hare caries out around 3 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 2 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 42.4 cm (1′ 5″).
As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.
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.
Animals of the same family as a Snowshoe hare
Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Leporidae):
- Cape hare with 2 babies per pregnancy
- Tres Marias rabbit bringing the scale to 964 grams
- Robust cottontail getting as big as 39.4 cm (1′ 4″)
- San José brush rabbit getting as big as 29.4 cm (1′ 0″)
- Manchurian hare with 2 babies per pregnancy
- Hainan hare growing to a mass of 1.52 kgs (3.35 lbs)
- Japanese hare with 2 babies per pregnancy
- European hare becoming 12 years old
- Mountain cottontail with 4 babies per pregnancy
- White-sided jackrabbit with 2 babies per pregnancy
Animals that reach the same age as Snowshoe hare
With an average age of 8 years, Snowshoe hare are in good companionship of the following animals:
- Mongolian gazelle usually reaching 7 years
- Arctic hare usually reaching 7 years
- Black dorcopsis usually reaching 8 years
- Plains viscacha usually reaching 9.33 years
- Yellow-bellied marmot usually reaching 8 years
- Kowari usually reaching 7 years
- Eastern quoll usually reaching 6.75 years
- Edible dormouse usually reaching 9 years
- Lesser short-nosed fruit bat usually reaching 8 years
- Striped possum usually reaching 9.58 years
Animals with the same number of babies Snowshoe hare
The same number of babies at once (3) are born by:
- Blanford’s jerboa
- Celebes warty pig
- Grizzled giant squirrel
- Guinea pig
- Indian hairy-footed gerbil
- Yucatan deer mouse
- Asian palm civet
- Taiwan field mouse
- Heath mouse
- Sumichrast’s harvest mouse
Weighting as much as Snowshoe hare
A fully grown Snowshoe hare reaches around 1.57 kg (3.46 lbs). So do these animals:
- Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo weighting 1.49 kilos (3.28 lbs) on average
- Silvery greater galago weighting 1.58 kilos (3.48 lbs) on average
- Long-footed potoroo weighting 1.84 kilos (4.06 lbs) on average
- Jamaican coney weighting 1.5 kilos (3.31 lbs) on average
- De Vis’s woolly rat weighting 1.66 kilos (3.66 lbs) on average
- Ruddy mongoose weighting 1.7 kilos (3.75 lbs) on average
- Sumatran striped rabbit weighting 1.51 kilos (3.33 lbs) on average
- Short-tailed mongoose weighting 1.4 kilos (3.09 lbs) on average
- Rock-haunting ringtail possum weighting 1.88 kilos (4.14 lbs) on average
- Nasuella olivacea weighting 1.34 kilos (2.95 lbs) on average
Animals as big as a Snowshoe hare
Those animals grow as big as a Snowshoe hare:
- Peruvian spider monkey with 45.4 cm (1′ 6″)
- Northern common cuscus with 42.4 cm (1′ 5″)
- White-footed saki with 39.4 cm (1′ 4″)
- Giant bushy-tailed cloud rat with 37.1 cm (1′ 3″)
- Ring-tailed vontsira with 35.2 cm (1′ 2″)
- Yunnan hare with 47 cm (1′ 7″)
- Bahamian hutia with 39.5 cm (1′ 4″)
- Northern olingo with 41.2 cm (1′ 5″)
- Lesser spot-nosed monkey with 41 cm (1′ 5″)
- Rio Tapajós saki with 39.9 cm (1′ 4″)