The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) is a found in Canada and the northern parts of the United States. It eats a variety of plant matter, including leaves, grass, berries, twigs, bark, but is also know to eat carrion (which is something that is already dead).
Some of you might have worn snowshoes before, but for those who haven't, they are special shoes that help us walk across the snow. The snowshoe hare has this ability too. The spaces in between the hare's toes are lined with thick fur. This allows it to hop across the snow without sinking into it. This is also a handy way for it to escape predators. Another way it escapes predators is by camouflage. During the summer months, the snowshoe hare has a brown coat that helps it blend in. During the winter months, it's fur changes to white which allows it to blend into it's snowy surroundings.
Like all rabbits, the snowshoe hare is a rodent. Mice, rats, squirrels, hamsters, and guinea pigs are also rodents. All rodents share a common characteristic; their incisor, or buck, teeth continually grow. This means that they must constantly gnaw on things to keep their teeth filed down. If they didn't their teeth would grow so long that they would not be able to eat or drink and they would starve to death. They usually file them down naturally by the food they eat, such as the twigs and bark the snowshoe hare eats. The food and toys that you can give your pet rodents help them keep their teeth filed down.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Animals, 2006, Per Christiansen
No comments:
Post a Comment