Snowshoe Hare

Description:

A lone hare hiding under a log. The hares are very visible when it is cold but there is no snow on the ground yet, as they are already mostly white and stick out like a sore thumb (they are brown in the warmer months). However, they don't have as many predators here as they do in their natural habitat (they were introduced to the island in the 1930s), so I imagine their only predators are humans, birds of prey, and possibly bears, though I don't think any of the aforementioned eat very many of them. In their natural range, lynx are the major predator of these hares, but we don't have lynx on the island.

Habitat:

Under a mossy log in an area dominated by salmonberry bushes, alders, and occasional spruce trees. They seem to like the thickets of salmonberry bushes because it is a good protective barrier.