E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777
Snowshoe Hare; Snowshoe Hare; Varying Hare
Family: Leporidae

Distribution of Lepus americanus in British Columbia

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Introduction

The Snowshoe Hare is a distinctive and easily recognized 'rabbit' because of its larger size, large "snowshoe' feet, long ears, and all white colouring in winter. Some low elevation populations in the Fraser River valley and the Cascades (areas with sporadic snow cover) are brown in winter (Nagorsen pers. comm. 2011). These smaller hares are currently recognized as a subspecies (L. a. washingtonii), however genetic work is needed to assess this taxonomy.

In BC, the Snowshoe hare is found throughout the province, but does not occur on the coastal islands (Nagorsen 2005).

Status Information

Scientific Name	Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Lepus americanus	Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed
Lepus americanus washingtonii	Native	S1	Red	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic and lineage information (NCBI Taxonomy Browser)

Additional Range and Status Information Links

NatureServe Explorer
North American Mammals (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)
University of Alaska Museum

Additional Photo Sources

Flickr Image Search
Google Image Search
Images from Calphoto

Related Databases

Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Predictive Range Maps
North American Mammals (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)

Species References

Nagorsen, David W. 2005. Rodents and Lagomorphs of British Columbia. Royal BC Museum Handbook. Royal BC Museum, Victoria.

General References

Mammal references
Google Scholar Search

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-01-15 6:02:22 AM]

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