European hare, Netherlands
© Jim Brandenburg/Minden Picture
European hare
Sometimes called ‘brown hares’, these animals live in open grassland across Europe and parts of Asia. They evade predators not by hiding underground, but by running fast – an adult hare can sprint more than 60 kilometres per hour.
When the spring breeding season arrives, hares go through an extreme change in personality, from generally nocturnal and shy in nature, to frenzied, lovestruck animals on the hunt for mates. During this time, the hares will sometimes ‘box’ each other by striking out with their forepaws. Males may occasionally battle each other for dominance and attention, but more often it’s females that fight, to fend off overly aggressive hares or to test their resolve. This behaviour has become so famous, it is said to have inspired the idiom, ‘mad as a March hare’.
Related Images
Crías de zorro cometa en el Parque Nacional de las Grasslands, cerca de Val Marie, en Saskatchewan, Canadá
Carhenge, creado por Jim Reinders cerca de Alliance, Nebraska
Tortugas gigantes en Volcán Alcedo, Islas Galápagos
Lago Muje-Oulu, en el este de Finlandia
Gerenuc en el Parque Nacional Tsavo, Kenia
Suricatas en el desierto de Kalahari, en Botswana
Una tormenta eléctrica atraviesa el Parque Nacional Theodore Roosevelt en Dakota del Norte
Trompetistas de los Alpes en el festival de Nendaz, Suiza
Bing Today Images
