Colour change of Mountain hares (Lepus timidus scoticus) in north-east Scotland

A two-year field study of colour change in a population of Mountain hares showed that the rate of colour change was significantly faster in a warm spring than in a cold one. The same result was found in individually marked wild hares, indicating that the response is not due to differences in age or sex ratios. It is postulated that the white coat is for camouflage, and the duration for which it is worn is correlated with temperature because of the coat's thickness. Moulting is probably timed by daylength, and the rate of moult affected by temperature.     

Reproduction of Mountain hares (Lepus timidus) in relation to density and physical condition

Population estimates of Mountain hares were done on three islands off the west coast of Sweden. Three different relative measures of hare reproduction were negatively related to density. Most of this relationship was accounted for through a positive correlation with body condition. However, there was no significant density trend in litter size or number of litters. The start of the reproductive season each year was related to mean air temperature during spring, so when spring was early so was conception.     

Body composition and reproduction in mountain hares (Lepus timidus scoticus) in north-east Scotland

Mountain hares in north-east Scotland are pregnant from Mid-February to mid-July, although breeding is at a peak from April to June when all adult females are either pregnant or lactating or both. The onset of reproduction coincides with the highest body fat composition and the end of the breeding season coincides with the greatest depletion of body fat.     

Weights and growth rates in the Mountain hare Lepus timidus scoticus

Mountain hares were weighed during live trapping on a study area near Dufftown, Banffshire, from June 1958 to August 1966. Hares shot or killed by other means on the study area and elsewhere were also weighed. Females were heavier than males throughout the year and this difference became apparent in juveniles by August of their year of birth. Male hares lost weight during the breeding season (January to June) but regained it in late summer. Young hares gained weight initially at about 14 g per day, then at about 6 g per day to adult weight. Small juveniles, or those born late in the season, tended to become small adults, large or early juveniles to become large adults. Small hares moulted less completely andjbegan to breed later in the season than large hares. The effects of disease, starvation, severe weather and injury on hare weights were considered. Female weights were greater when the population was small, due to more late pregnancies or more embryos per female. Weight could not be used to distinguish between adult and juvenile hares above 2.1 kg, nor between young and older adults.     

Infections with Francisella tularensis biovar palaearctica in hares (Lepus timidus, Lepus europaeus) from Sweden

The occurrence of tularemia was studied in 1,500 hares submitted to the National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden for postmortem examination during 1973 through 1985. A total of 109 tularemia cases was recorded based on the fluorescent antibody (FA) test for Francisella tularensis and on the gross and microscopic pathology. Tularemia was diagnosed only in the varying hare (Lepus timidus) and not in the European brown hare (Lepus europaeus). The geographical distribution of the 109 cases indicates that tularemia has not spread in Sweden during the last 45 yr, with the exception of an endemic occurrence of the disease on the island of Stora Karls? in the Baltic sea. The disease was most frequent in the autumn and only a few cases were recorded during winter. Cases were not seen in the spring. The annual prevalence varied, with several cases in 1974 and 1981, but there were no cases in 1976 and 1980. The postmortem findings in hares dying of tularemia in the autumn were characterized by focal coagulative necrosis in liver, spleen and bone marrow, with high numbers of bacteria FA-positive for F. tularensis. In hares dying during winter months, the most characteristic findings were hemorrhagic enteritis and typhlitis, although necrotic lesions could occur in liver, spleen and bone marrow. Diseased hares on the island of Stora Karls? were demonstrated to be infected with ticks, while hares on the mainland of Sweden generally were fed upon by mosquitoes. Twenty-six of the 109 hares with tularemia were examined bacteriologically and F. tularensis biovar palaearctica was isolated from eight. The lung extract antibody test for F. tularensis was performed in 18 of the 109 hares. All were negative. In addition to the field study, an experimental study with F. tularensis biovar palaearctica was performed. Four varying hares and three European brown hares were inoculated. None of the hares died from tularemia, and generalized infection was not demonstrated.     

Behaviour, population changes and dispersal of mountain hares (Lepus timidus) in Scotland

Mountain hares in north-east Scotland spent the day in forms in long heather and moved downhill in the evening to feed in hill pastures. Here they grazed intensively, often in groups of 4–6 individuals. In June and July adult females, then pregnant or lactating, grazed in daylight on the pastures. Leverets spent less time grazing, and more in play and exploration. They spent the day in cover near the feeding areas, and if disturbed during grazing crouched or went into cover, while adults fled. During 1982 and 1983 males predominated in groups of grazing hares, but in 1984 both sexes were equally represented. These changes in sex ratio were reflected in the increased proportion of females trapped for marking between February and late July during 1982–86. There was a dominance order related to weight among male hares and dominant hares approached more females. There was no firm evidence of mate-guarding. Males approached females regardless of their oestrous state and were usually rebuffed with varying degrees of intensity including striking and chasing. There were no interactions between females. Adults of both sexes chased leverets for short distances but leverets joined groups of feeding adults. Neither leverets nor first-winter hares showed evidence of dispersal. Mountain hares avoided sheep and cattle and there were fewer hares after the arrival of sheep in May.     

Sexing European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), European brown hares (Lepus europaeus) and mountain hares (Lepus timidus) with ZFX and ZFY loci

We describe a new method for the sex determination of tissue originating from Oryctolagus cuniculus (European rabbit), Lepus europaeus (European brown hare) and Lepus timidus (mountain hare) based on PCR-RFLP analysis of point mutations that differentiate the ZFX and ZFY gene sequences. Among several applications, this PCR-RFLP method could be used to investigate gender ratio and evaluate the population dynamics of these species using samples collected when sex cannot be identified.     

Winter locomotor activity patterns of European hares (Lepus europaeus)

In this study, activity patterns of the European hare (Lepus europaeus) were analyzed during winter using global positioning system (GPS) collars on 24 hares in two study areas located in central Italy. We programmed the collars to collect 12 location points per day, for a duration of three months. Results show two distinct phases of activities related to the day–night cycle. The daytime phase is characterized by inactivity at the form while the second phase is characterized by movements. Males were more active than females, showing a constant locomotor activity during the whole night. Females showed two peaks of activity during the night with a reduction in the middle of this time period. The comparison between females of the two study areas showed difference in interfix distance in particular around sunset and sunrise. In fact the minimum daily movement between the two areas shows that foraging sites of area B are more distant than those of area A. The recent possibility to apply GPS collars on small–medium mammals provides a powerful instrument to study the behavioral ecology of the European hare, and consequently promote an effective population management strategy for the species conservation.