Noun

Singular hare

Plural hares

hare (plural hares)

1. Any of several plant-eating animals of the family Leporidae, especially of the genus Lepus, being usually somewhat larger than a rabbit and with longer ears.

Derived terms

• arctic hare
• Belgian hare
• brown hare
• European hare
• hare and hounds

• harebell
• harebrained
• hare lip
• hold with the hare and run with the hounds
• March hare

• mountain hare
• Patagonian hare
• sea hare
• snowshoe hare
• springhare

Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the Hispid Hare (Caprolagus hispidus), and three species known as red rock hares (Pronolagus spp.).

Hares are very fast-moving. The European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) can run at speeds of up to 72 km/h (45 mph). They live solitarily or in pairs, while a "drove" is the collective noun for a group of hares. Their bodies are capable of absorbing the g-force produced while running at extreme speeds or while escaping predators.

A common type of hare in Arctic North America is the Snowshoe Hare, replaced further south by the Black-tailed Jackrabbit, White-tailed Jackrabbit and other species.

Normally a shy animal, the European Brown Hare changes its behaviour in spring, when hares can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around meadows; this appears to be competition between males to attain dominance (and hence more access to breeding females). During this spring frenzy, hares can be seen "boxing"; one hare striking another with its paws (probably the origin of the term "mad as a March hare"). For a long time it had been thought that this was inter-male competition, but closer observation has revealed that it is usually a female hitting a male, either to show that she is not yet quite ready to mate, or as a test of his determination.