Hare vs Rabbit

There are several important differences between rabbits and hares even though both animals belong to the Lagomorpha order of mammals.

Comparison chart

	Hare	Rabbit
Genus/Genera:	Lepus	Pentalagus, Bunolagus, Nesolagus, Romerolagus, Brachylagus, Sylvilagus, Oryctolagus, Poelagus
Family:	Leporidae	Leporidae (in part)
Class:	Mammalia	Mammalia
Introduction:	Hares are mammals, they give birth on the ground or dig a hollow place. Hares are brownish gray with a white belly. They can give birth to up to five young at one time. They feed at night and at dawn. They thump on the ground to alert danger.	Rabbits (or, colloquially, bunnies) are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. The rabbit's long ears can be more than 10 cm (4 in) long and they have large powerful hind legs.
Order:	Lagomorpha	Lagomorpha
Diet:	Vegetarian	Vegetarian
Kingdom:	Animalia	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata	Chordata

A hare as depicted in a painting.

1 Differences in Physical features
2 Comparison of Lifestyle and Behavior
- 2.1 Similarities
3 Trivia
4 Related Video
5 Related Articles

Differences in Physical features

A rabbit (Eastern Cottontail or Sylvilagus floridanus).

There are several differences in the physical features of hares and rabbits that allow us to distinguish between the two.

Hares are generally larger and faster than rabbits.
Hares have longer ears and larger feet than rabbits.
Hares have black markings on their fur.
Rabbits are altricial i.e. they having young that are born blind and hairless. In contrast, hares are generally born with hair and are able to see (precocial). Young hares are therefore able to fend for themselves very quickly after birth.

Rabbit kittens soon after birth.
A young hare is called a leveret and a young rabbit is called a kitten, kit, or, least correct but very commonly, a bunny.
Hares have very long and strong hind legs, more so than rabbits.
Rabbits and hares both molt and then grow new hair. This happens in both the spring and in the fall. Rabbits' brown summer fur is replaced with fur that is more grey. Hares, especially those living in cold, snowy regions, turn white in the winter.
Hunters say that hare has a much stronger, gamier flavor than rabbit (which actually does taste like a milder version of chicken).
Both rabbits and hares have short tails.

Comparison of Lifestyle and Behavior

Hares have not been domesticated, while rabbits are often kept as house pets.
All rabbits (except the cottontail rabbit) live underground in burrows or warrens, while hares live in simple nests above the ground (as does the cottontail rabbit). Rabbits also have their litters underground. Hares rely on running rather than burrowing for protection.
Rabbits are very social animals; they live in colonies. Male rabbits even fight within a group to become the dominant male. The dominant male rabbit then mates with most of the females in the area. In opposite, hares live most of the time by themselves. They come together in pairs for mating only. There is almost no fighting among hares - they just pair off.
Rabbits prefer soft stems, grass or vegetables; hares eat more hard food: bark and rind, buds, small twigs and shoots.

Similarities

Both rabbits and hares breed prolifically, bearing four to eight litters each year.
A litter of rabbits generally has three to eight young. They have a gestation period of about a month, are sexually mature in about six months, and live in the wild for about six years.
Although rabbits and hares are valued as game by hunters both for their food and fur, they are also pests to farmers and gardeners. They can destroy crops and trees.

Trivia

The Jackrabbit is actually a hare.
Rabbit's eyes are positioned on the sides, so they can cover larger areas. Rabbits can see behind them without turning their heads.
A male rabbit is called a buck, a female - a doe, babies - kittens.
Rabbit's eyes remain black when reflecting a bright light. In comparison human eyes appear red, cats and dogs - green, and deer eyes turn orange).

Comments: Hare vs Rabbit

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Anonymous comments

This really helped! I was wondering in science when we learned about placental mammals.
173.✗.✗.158 on 2013-04-18 21:50:52

A Hare has a split lip .... thus the expression a person has a "Hare Lip"
68.✗.✗.68 on 2013-03-29 22:01:38

Many rabbits' eyes (especially the all-white ones) have red eyes.
74.✗.✗.23 on 2013-03-10 19:24:04

Theyre kits not kittens
173.✗.✗.80 on 2012-08-31 20:27:47

well i guess i have a hare then because we got her at the shelter and her fur is changing, she thumps her foot when ever the cat is by her cage, she has long body and a deer-like tail.
216.✗.✗.118 on 2012-07-20 21:11:57

helped alot thx (:
69.✗.✗.3 on 2011-11-18 16:14:41

I had trouble telling the rabbits hopping backward joke to a teenager who is very intelligent (also has Asperger's Syndrom). Now that I know the difference between a hare and a rabbit, I can tell the joke about jackrabbits (technically hares) hopping backward and she will get it! Thanks so much.
97.✗.✗.170 on 2011-11-10 22:02:35

Regarding the previous arguments with two of the statements 1) "Mad as a march hare" refers to the notion of unpredictable behavior of hares during the mating season such as jumping for no reason, boxing each other and being generally unpredictable. It does not refer to aggression. A popular quote from a poen in the 1500's goes "Then they begin to swerve and to stare, And be as brainless as a March hare" and Lewis Carroll's hare was mad as in crazy not mad as in angry. 2) Bark is eaten by many animals and it is in fact nutritious for some species of trees. Deer and beaver are known to kill trees by stripping the bark. This isn't random gnawing behavior but actual browsing. It is not very nutritious but then grass isn't very nutritious either, which is why grazing animals eat so much.
173.✗.✗.215 on 2011-01-30 15:10:39

Without knowing enough about the subject to make any edits, I question two points: 1) that male hares almost never fight. The expression, "mad as a March hare," refers to aggressive behavior by the male during mating season, which suggests a good deal of competition, if not actual (injurious) fighting. In fact, I was prompted to search for "hare vs. rabbit" by a photo on MSNbc's Animal Tracks for this week (Mar 26, 2010), of two hares squaring off. 2) that there is very much difference in the diet. Gnawing animals gnaw on anything; bark has virtually no nutrition and wouldn't be eaten unless the hare (or rabbit) was bored or starving. A "shoot" is a "soft stem." I would expect both to eat grass, flowers, buds, chewable stems, and whatever vegetables they can get. Nevertheless, an informative writeup.
149.✗.✗.121 on 2010-04-01 14:25:40

this helped me alot!! thanx
115.✗.✗.10 on 2009-11-19 12:27:08

This was very helpful in settling a trivia question with a friend. However, it has also exposed a very ugly and troubling issue. Now that we know a "bunny" is specifically defined as an immature "rabbit," this can only mean that employing the "Easter Bunny" to deliver swag baskets and hide eggs on Easter Eve violates a whole host of state, federal, and UN Child Labor Laws. Inexcusable child exploitation! This means there is no difference between our traditional Easter festivities and an El Salvadoran sweat shop full of hungry orphans making Nikes. We are just lucky we haven't been caught yet. The only solution is to quietly change the job description to "Easter Rabbit," purge all history books and greeting cards of incriminating "bunny" references, and never speak of this again. Furthermore, to ensure political correctness, diversity, and ethnic inclusiveness, in alternate years the contract for Easter Eve responsibilities must be awarded to the "Easter Hare." ACORN
72.✗.✗.70 on 2009-09-15 07:36:35

thanks. this was very helpful in my gifted and enrichment class.
74.✗.✗.2 on 2009-09-09 18:13:55

Thanks! This was a lot of help for my 4-H project!
75.✗.✗.225 on 2009-07-08 16:59:52

yes very helpful thankx alot
70.✗.✗.15 on 2009-04-07 17:40:15

Thank you for posting this, it was very helpful!
98.✗.✗.17 on 2009-03-27 07:05:29

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