“The Tortoise and the Hare” is a timeless classic. And for many of us, it was the fable that taught us that hares exist. Join me as we take a look at the many differences between the smaller rabbit and the larger hare.
Overview
The world of rabbits and hares is a rather messy one. Both belong to the family Leporidae, which means ‘those that resemble Lepus’. Lepus means hare, so technically rabbits and hares belong to the family of all species that look like hares. Does that make sense?
There are 40 hare species, and they include the black jackrabbit and the Ethiopian highland, amongst others. For rabbits, things aren’t as simple as 40 breeds. Instead, there are more than 300 rabbit breeds that consist of different domestic rabbit mixes. That’s because people are breeding them for their meat and fur and for their scientific and educational value.
There are too many to name but let me share a few of the friendliest rabbit breeds. They’re the Mini Lop, the Dutch rabbit, the Lionhead rabbit, the Rex rabbit, and the Flemish Giant rabbit.
Physical Appearance
Rabbits: They always stay the same color, which can be any of the following: blue, blue silver, black, cinnamon, cream, chocolate, champagne, lavender, silver, white, and opal. They hold their tails up when they bounce or hop away, and they can have anything from short to very long fur.
Hares: Unlike rabbits, hares can change color according to the season. They’re usually brown or gray during summer months and white in the winter. You’ll be able to spot a hare from behind because they hold their tails down when they hop away. They’ve also got much longer ears and longer hind feet.
Size
Rabbits: They generally measure up to 16 inches in length and weigh no more than 4.5 lbs.
Hares: They are much larger than rabbits. They are as long as 27.5 inches and weigh as much as 11 lbs.
Behavior
Rabbits: They’re the friendlier and more social of the two, which is why pet rabbits are so popular. They can live in groups of up to 20 individual rabbits and they would rather hide from enemies than try to make a run for it.
Hares: They live alone or in pairs instead of large groups and since they’re so big and fast, they’d rather run than hide.
Habitat
Rabbits: They love greenery and shaded areas. You’ll find them near trees and shrubs in places like woods, grasslands, wetlands, meadows, and forests. They’ll even settle for deserts because they live in burrows under the ground known as warrens.
Hares: They like open areas where there’s space to run. They live above the ground in nests that we call forms in areas like grasslands, prairies, and farms.
Diet
Rabbits: The bunny’s diet isn’t complex at all. They’re herbivores and at least 80% of their daily food intake needs to be high-quality roughage. They don’t like chewing on hard things like twigs, so they stick to grass, herbs, vegetables, fruits, and other soft plants.
Hares: They’re also herbivores but they’re not as picky, so they’ll settle for hard vegetation if that’s what they can find. They eat grass shoots, tree bark, bushes, cereal crops, twigs, etc.
Conservation Status
Rabbits: Unfortunately, over time more than 60 rabbit breeds have gone extinct. Wild rabbits are nearly threatened because of disease and habitat loss. Other rabbits facing similar threats and nearing extinction are the Amami rabbit and Sumatran rabbit. They’re both critically endangered.
Hares: Some breeds, like the Brown hare, aren’t at risk but their numbers are still decreasing with an 80% drop over the last 100 years. The Hispid hare is endangered, and the population of the Mountain hare is constantly fluctuating. Hares face threats like predators, parasites, and a shortage of food.
Other Differences
Breeding: These little creatures are known for their prolific breeding and they can have 1 to 12 kits per litter. I know you’re thinking that’s not too bad but if you consider that they can have 5 to 6 litters yearly, it’s rough. They’re only pregnant for a mere 28 to 32 days and their babies are born blind and hairless.
Hares are definitely not as into breeding as their tiny cousins. Perhaps because their gestation period is 42 days. Since the babies, or leverets, have more time to develop, they are born with fur, and their eyes work from the get-go. Hares can give birth to 8 babies at a time and their average is no more than 4 litter per year.
Lifespan: A rabbit’s lifespan depends on whether it’s domestic or wild. Rabbits live 12 to 15 months in the wild but domestic rabbits can survive for 12 years. The hare’s lifespan depends on the species. Arctic hares only live for 1.5 years, and European hares can live for 12 years.
Similarities
Digestion: You may not enjoy this similarity but heck, it’s interesting. Apparently hares and rabbits are both coprophagous. Don’t Google that, I’ll explain without going into detail and trust me, you’ll thank me later. That means these creatures eat their own feces. Why? Because that’s the best way to extract all of the nutrients from the plants they eat, of course. Fortunately, they’re both herbivores.
Swimming: Both hares and rabbits can swim if they really need to. They hate water and would rather avoid it but when their lives are in danger, they’ll channel their inner fish.
Browsing: Our furry pals are both browsers. Not like Firefox or Chrome. It means that they like to gnaw on young trees, which prevents them from growing.
