Difference between rabbit and hare
Rabbit vs hare:
Anybody who is familiar with the novel ‘Alice in Wonderland’ would be quite familiar with the fact that Alice fell down a rabbit hole and thus entered in to a world which was full or marvels and wonders that took her breath away. And yet, have you ever wondered? Was it a rabbit hole hat Alice fell in to? Or was it a hare’s burrow that she fell in to? Let us find out.
What is a rabbit?
A rabbit is an animal which belongs in part to the Leporidae family and is of various genus such as Pentalagus, Bunolagus, Nesolagus, Romerolagus, Brachylagus, Sylvilagus, Oryctolagus and Poelagus. They are mostly reared as domestic animals who are known for their preference to burrow in to the ground. A rabbit has a body which is typically of 30-35 cm in length. They are born hairless and blind (altriciali) and they usually give birth in a nest made of tender grass and tea bark, spread with a layer of her own fur. After birth, the mother rabbits usually wraps the babies in another layer of her own fur in order to keep the young ones warm as well as to protect them from outside forces. Rabbits are more often seen in groups and they are seen to compete with each other to take over the leadership of the pack.
What is a hare?
A hare is a mammal that hails from the Leporidae family, belonging to the genus Lepus who are rather solitary creatures who wander off on their own. They typically possess bodies of 50-70 cm in length and are nocturnal creatures that are seen to be living in pits. The mother hare drops the young ones in to a small depression in the ground at birth and they are born with their eyes open and covered in fur. Hence they are known as precocial. The young hare is called a leveret and hares are not known to be domesticated.
What is the difference between hare and rabbit?
Both hares and rabbits are mammals who love to roam around during the night. They both belong to the Lagomorpha order and both are known to shed their hair twice a year during spring and fall and are then replaced with another coat of fur. And yet, a rabbit that sheds its summer fur is replaced with grey colored fur in the winter whereas the hare, especially those who live in cold climates, will gain snow white fur in the winter.
Hares are known to be much larger and faster than rabbits. The average speed of a rabbit can be listed as 30-40 km/hr whereas the average speed of a hare is known to be 60-70 km/hr, perhaps due to the fact that hares have longer and much stronger hind legs than rabbits. Hares possess much longer ears too.
Both the rabbit and the hare are nocturnal animals that keep low profiles during the day time and are rather active during dusk and dawn. They are mostly timid and are known to run away when confronted by predators and hide among grasses and bushes. However, rabbits are known to feed on tender food whereas hares feed on harder things. A hare is essentially a wild animal that cannot be domesticated whereas rabbits are seen to be reared as pets in households worldwide.
A young hare is referred to as a leveret whereas a young rabbit is referred to as a kitten, a kit or a bunny. Because of the fact that a hare is born with eyes open and equipped with a coat of fur, they are able to fend for themselves rather efficiently whereas young rabbits are looked after and cared for by their mother for a considerable amount of time.
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Tags: Buck, bunny, capon, chinchilla, coney, cony, cotton tail, cuniculus, doe, hare, lagomorph, lapin, leveret, rodent
