There are other difficulties; rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus has been recorded in hares, and more commonly, poaching haunts the species. Hare coursing is a terrible business on all levels. Apart from the cruelty to hares, it causes distress to rural communities and is often linked with wider rural crime. The hare – always listening, always watching – is sadly wise to maintain what one a Victorian writer called a “passion of fear”, but it is time to give something new to the hare: a land where it can relax, at least from overt fear of us.

Footprints: Their footprints are distinctive by the position of their feet. Their long hind feet are parallel and the fore feet are often between them, depending on speed of travel. Width 2.5cm, length 3.5cm. Another great example of celebration of the hare is the Easter Bunny who represents the starting of spring, which is essentially a celebration of fertility, rebirth and reproduction.View all 104 animals that start with HThere is some debate as to whether the European hare and the Cape hare are the same species. A 2005 nuclear gene pool study suggested that they are, [9] but a 2006 study of the mitochondrial DNA of these same animals concluded that they had diverged sufficiently widely to be considered separate species. [10] A 2008 study claims that in the case of Lepus species, with their rapid evolution, species designation cannot be based solely on mtDNA but should also include an examination of the nuclear gene pool. It is possible that the genetic differences between the European and Cape hare are due to geographic separation rather than actual divergence. It has been speculated that in the Near East, hare populations are intergrading and experiencing gene flow. [11] Another 2008 study suggests that more research is needed before a conclusion is reached as to whether a species complex exists; [12] the European hare remains classified as a single species until further data contradicts this assumption. [1] Hare meat and blood have both been used across the globe through centuries as a source of protein. Hare are available everywhere and their numbers are plenty, which is why hunting activities are unregulated compared to other game. They have also been used for sport hunting activities, in America, many European countries and the UK. In Great Britain, the European hare is seen most frequently on arable farms, especially those with crop rotation and fallow land, wheat and sugar beet crops. In mainly grass farms, its numbers increased with are improved pastures, some arable crops and patches of woodland. It is seen less frequently where foxes are abundant or where there are many common buzzards. It also seems to be fewer in number in areas with high European rabbit populations, [26] although there appears to be little interaction between the two species and no aggression. [27] Although European hares are shot as game when plentiful, this is a self-limiting activity and is less likely to occur in localities where the species is scarce. [26] Behaviour and life history [ edit ] European hare hiding in a "form" Hares currently occupy every continent in the world outside of Antarctica. They originally evolved in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, but they were later introduced to South America and Australia.

Their pelts have been and are still used for creating winter wear by the native population living in Americas, Europe, and the Polar regions. Hare in Mythology and Folklore Around the Globe Lagos stifado ( Λαγός στιφάδο)—hare stew with pearl onions, vinegar, red wine, and cinnamon—is a much-prized dish enjoyed in Greece and Cyprus and communities in the diaspora, particularly in Australia, where the hare is hunted as a feral pest.Holly, A.J.F. & Greenwood, P.J. (1984). "The myth of the mad March hare". Nature. 309 (5968): 549–550. Bibcode: 1984Natur.309..549H. doi: 10.1038/309549a0. PMID 6539424. S2CID 4275486. Edwards, P. J., M. R. Fletcher, and P. Berny. Review of the factors affecting the decline of the European brown hare, Lepus europaeus (Pallas, 1778) and the use of wildlife incident data to evaluate the significance of paraquat. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment 79.2-3 (2000): 95-103. [3] Goszczyński, J.; Wasilewski, M. (1992). "Predation of foxes on a hare population in central Poland". Acta Theriologica. 37 (4): 329–338. doi: 10.4098/at.arch.92-33. ISSN 0001-7051. Celtic Mythology: The Celts saw Hares as connectors to the Otherworld and it was forbidden to eat them. There are many stories in Celtic mythology about shapeshifting hare that turn into people.

Typically hare are cooked over a spit, grilled, roasted or fried for making sandwiches or eating with sauce. Here are a few popular recipes from around the globe: a b Stott, P. (2008). "Comparisons of digestive function between the European hare ( Lepus europaeus) and the European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus): Mastication, gut passage, and digestibility". Mammalian Biology – Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 73 (4): 276–286. doi: 10.1016/j.mambio.2007.07.002. Broekhuizen, S.; Maaskamp, F. (1980). "Behaviour of does and leverets of the European hare ( Lepus europaeus) while nursing". Journal of Zoology. 191 (4): 487–501. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1980.tb01480.x. Palacios, F. (1989). "Biometric and morphologic features of the species of the genus Lepus in Spain". Mammalia. 53 (2): 227–264. doi: 10.1515/mamm.1989.53.2.227. S2CID 84763076.Database, Mammal Diversity (2022-02-01), Mammal Diversity Database, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.5945626 , retrieved 2022-03-24 The hare has traditionally been a common source of food for people, and they are still among the most hunted animals today. Most of this hunting is responsibly done. However, an even greater threat is habitat loss and fragmentation, which has caused numbers to decline around the world. Gibbons Merle & John Reitch (1842). The domestic dictionary and housekeeper's manual. London: William Strange. p. 113. European Hare– Native to Europe and parts of Asia. Most common species in Europe. Habitat is open areas. Smith, Rebecca K., et al. Conservation of European hares Lepus europaeus in Britain: is increasing habitat heterogeneity in farmland the answer? Journal of Applied Ecology 41.6 (2004): 1092-1102. [5]

Trux, E. M. (2003). Schröder, K. A.; Sternath, M. L. (eds.). Überlegungen zum Feldhasen und anderen Tierstudien Dürers mit einer Datierungsdiskussion. Hatje Cantz Verlag. pp.45–55. ISBN 978-3-7757-1330-6. {{ cite book}}: |work= ignored ( help) Unlike the rabbit, the hare is solitary and does not dig burrows, but instead it lives entirely above ground. During the day it rests and sleeps in a form, which it makes by scraping out a shallow depression in the ground, just fitting its body when crouching low. The form may be against a hedge, in short grass, scrub or a ploughed furrow. When lying in its form with ears laid flat, a hare is well-camouflaged. a b Kurta, Allen (1995). Mammals of the Great Lakes Region. University of Michigan Press. p.104. ISBN 978-0-472-06497-7. This video by Severn Vale Hunt Saboteurs and this one from East Kent Sabs provide visual examples of what sabbing hare hunts looks like.Pallas, Peter Simon (1778). Novae Species Quadrupedum e Glirium Ordine (in Latin). Erlanger: Wolfgangi Waltheri. p.30. a b c d " Lepus europaeus European hare". Animal Diversity. University of Michigan . Retrieved 11 May 2011. Pikula, J.; Beklová, M.; Holešovská, Z.; Treml, F. (2004). "Ecology of European brown hare and distribution of natural foci of Tularaemia in the Czech Republic". Acta Veterinaria Brno. 73 (2): 267–273. doi: 10.2754/avb200473020267. Sheng, Pengfei; Hu, Yaowu; Sun, Zhouyong; Yang, Liping; Hu, Songmei; Fuller, Benjamin T.; Shang, Xue (June 2020). "Early commensal interaction between humans and hares in Neolithic northern China". Antiquity. 94 (375): 622–636. doi: 10.15184/aqy.2020.36. S2CID 219423073.