Hares vs Rabbits: What's The Difference?

Hares and rabbits are two similar-looking animals in the family Leporidae. They look so similar that people often mistake one for the other. The term "rabbit" and "hare" is sometimes used interchangeably. Even though both these animals look similar, they are different from each other. There are a couple of differences given below which can be used to distinguish between them.

SIZE

Hares are generally larger than rabbits. Hares can reach up to a length of 28 inches.

Rabbits can measure anywhere between 9 inches, as in the case of pygmy rabbits, to 30 inches in the case of the Flemish giant rabbit but the average size is around 17 inches.

EARS

Hares have longer ears than rabbits.

LEGS

Hares have longer hindlimbs than rabbits. This is due to the fact that hares prefer to run away from threats unlike rabbits, who hide in their burrows. The longer hindlimbs of hares help them run faster.

BODY

Hares are usually brown in colour. However, when they moult, the colour of their fur changes dramatically. For example, the fur of snowshoe hares and mountain hares changes from brown to white in winter.

Rabbits are usually grey in colour but also come in many colours and patterns. Click here to learn about the different fur colours in rabbits.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

Hares are not social animals. They tend to live alone but are seen in pairs during the mating season.

Rabbits are social animals and often live in groups of up to 20 individuals. There is a well-established dominance hierarchy among the individuals of the group.

SPEED

Hares can reach a maximum speed of 45 mph, while rabbits can hit a top speed of 30-35 mph.

DIET

Hares generally eat harder items like bark, hay, twigs, etc., while rabbits prefer softer grasses, hay and vegetables.

Both hare and rabbits are classified as herbivorous animals but a recent study by Michael JL Peers showed that snowshoe hares in Yukon, Canada consumed meat from the carcasses of lynx and even from the carcasses of other hares. Rabbits thrive on a herbivore diet but are known to eat their young ones in certain cases.

DOMESTICATION

Hares are wild animals and are not domesticated, while rabbits are often domesticated and kept as pets.

YOUNG ONES

The young ones of hares and rabbits are completely different from each other at the time of birth. The young ones of hares, called leverets, are precocial, i.e., they are born in a mature state with well-developed fur and the ability to see and move shortly after birth.

The young ones of rabbits, called kittens, are altricial, i.e., they are born in an immature state with furless bodies and without the ability to see and move out of their nest shortly after birth.

NEST

Hares live in simple nests that are above the ground, while rabbits live underground in a complex network of interconnecting burrows called warrens. cottontail rabbits live in nests rather than in burrows.